Attitude match
by NineSoul
Summary: They were bound and determined to be enemies for life. Neither of them thought there was anything that could change that, and neither of them cared. Until the Captain got sick, that is. Eventual ZoSan. SERIOUSLY EDITING FIRST FEW CHAPS TO MAKE THIS READABLE.
1. Luffy's sick!

**This is my first time writing anything like this... So, yeah, gimme a break. I can't update really fast on this, but, I will try and make long chapters. ^^**

**Anyway, on with the disclaimers!**

**I do not own One Piece, or any of it's characters, even if I do in my dreams. ****I do, however, own the idea behind, and the power over THIS STORY.**

**Currently rated: T, for language. That may change. ^^**

**Enjoy!**

**EDIT: Seriously fixed up as of 7/05/13. Liek, srsly. I don't know how so many people tolerated this as it was, but I have butchered the hell out of it and changed up a lot of finite things. Hopefully, I have smoothed out the original premise. Btw, it took me over a week to edit this. Dx YOU BETTER LIKE IT. xD**

_One cool, peaceful day the Going Merry is floating along, carrying with it the same liveliness as is usual for our favorite Mugiwara Pirates..._

"Hey, Usopp, that's not fair!" Luffy shouted, reaching out and putting his hand up as a blockade so Usopp wouldn't take his stuff.

"All's fair in love and Pocket Poker! Now fork over the junk!" The sniper stuck out his chest, striking an admirable pose, and again tried to take the hard candy that had been Luffy's betting chips.

Luffy smacked Usopp's hand away. "That wasn't fair! Now take it back!"

"I'll gladly take my candy!"

"No! That's mine! Zoro, tell Usopp he cheated!"

"You cheated."

"Hey! Who made you referee?"

"No more excuses, Usopp. No one's heard of the hand called 'Special sniper's minions'."

"But, Nami- OW!"

"I said 'no more excuses'!"

"Ahaha! Usopp's got a bump on his head!"

"Luffy! He's injured. That's not funny."

"Yeah, you tell 'em Chopper!"

"It's still funny, though! Ahahaha!"

"Captain-san, Sniper-san looks angry."

"Ite! Usopp! I'll punch you!"

Yep. The usual. Sanji smiled at the commotion, listening from the galley. He came in to cook dinner not ten minutes before they decided to play Pocket Poker. Apparently, Usopp had really shitty inventor stuff in his pockets, and Luffy somehow kept candy in his pockets. This, naturally, made him the target of every underhanded trick in Usopp's book.

_Fortunately for Luffy, he's got my beautiful Nami-san and Robin-chan keeping an eye out for cheating,_ Sanji thought to himself, smiling a goofy smile.

He raked the vegetables he'd been chopping into a pan and prodded at them with his spatula. These past few days had been good ones for cooking, since they'd just departed from the last island four days ago and they'd stocked up nicely, with interesting new ingredients, too. Honestly, the cook couldn't be happier. The weather was good, the food was good, the ladies were goooood, and they hadn't run into the marines for a while. All in all, their days were like those of a peaceful summer song.

"HEY! Luffy, you can't eat your raise!"

"Chu latche! I al-ray di'!" _Too late! I already did!_

"I was wondering when that would happen..." Sanji mumbled to himself as he cut off the stove. He was just finishing up with the side dishes as a certain green-haired swordsman thumped into the galley. Sanji barely paid him a blink, continuing in his task without even asking why Zoro was there. He knew of course. It was very close to dinner time and the smell of delicious food was probably wafting straight to the crew's noses.

"It's almost ready, Marimo-head," the cook said, putting the smallest bit of taunt into the last part. That, of course, would've been enough to start a fight, had the Marimo-head in question not already absorbed himself in a bottle of booze.

"Oi, oi. Save some for the others. Our supply won't last a week if you keep drinking like you have." Sanji frowned at the swordsman who was currently enjoying his booze and ignoring the cook. He knew that always pissed Sanji off.

"Hey! You listening or has your brain gone completely to seaweed?" Sanji was sure that one would get him. Though, he didn't know why he wanted to start a fight. Perhaps, the calm was unnerving to him. At least, when it contained Zoro.

"Ehh, shaddup, Ero-cook," the swordsman tossed, lazily. Zoro had been out training for a while and Sanji knew even idiot swordsmen would avoid a fight. The marimo had been known to argue or simply ignore Sanji when he didn't feel like fighting and Sanji supposed they were in another such situation. "I'll make it stretch," Zoro added.

"Sure ya will, ya drunken seaweed," Sanji muttered, pulling out plates and filling them with his latest creation. He'd had to drag the drunk, passed out, useless blob of seaweed off the deck and into his hammock one too many times. He's not as light as he looks.

"FOOOOOOOOD!" The door burst open, giving a loud "thunk" under the Captain's eager push. Slowly, everyone made their way into the galley, allowing dinner to commence. If anybody wanted to be heard over Luffy and Usopp's loud bickering conversation over Pocket Poker, with brief intervals of dishes clanking, they practically had to shout. Even with the noise, contentment still filled them all. Probably in part because of the constant ruckus their Captain stirred up, but nonetheless.

"Oi! Eat properly in front of the ladies!" Sanji scolded, lightly dropping his heel onto Luffy's head. He knew it was useless, but he still had to give it a shot for the sake of table manners. Luffy turned just enough so he could see Sanji. "Bu' i's gooooo'!" he shouted, spraying food on the unfortunate Usopp who happened to be sitting right beside him.

Sanji momentarily ignored the thoroughly grossed-put sniper and instead continued to yell at Luffy; "And, don't talk with your mouth full! How many times have I told you this?"

The Captain swallowed hard and answered, flatly, "Eight," then proceeded to stuff his face. That made a vein show itself in the visible part of Sanji's forehead. He cracked his knuckles loudly, as if any of the damage dealt would be from his fists.

"Sanji-kun, relax! He's just being Luffy!" Nami waved for him to stop.

"Haiiiii, Nami-swan~!" His eyes turned to hearts as he danced away from Luffy, towards the subject of his affections. Just as he did so, an unsettling silence befell the room, save for the brief tinkling of silverware. This was quite peculiar to Sanji, even as his mind was consumed by his beautiful Nami-san.

All at once, the crew seemed to gather from whom the silence emanated. Luffy. His shoulders slumped, his fork on the floor, his head so close to his food that his hair was marinating in it, his breathing uneven. _What the hell just happened?_

"Luffy?" The little doctor stood up in his seat and reached across the table. He put his hoof on Luffy's forehead only to pull it right back. "He's burning up!" Chopper shouted, causing the others to jump.

Nami gasped, Usopp and Zoro gaped, Robin stared, her eyes widening visibly, and Sanji could only manage one word: "What?"

Chopper's head snapped up. "You heard me! He's got a terrible fever!" His expression became very serious for the normally cheerful reindeer. "Sanji! Get me a cloth and a bowl of warm water. Usopp, go get my bag. Zoro, help me move Luffy to a suitable area for him to be treated in."

The room was still for a moment before they all suddenly jerked into action. "You should put Luffy in our room," Nami said, her voice coated with worry. "It'll be easier on you _and _Luffy that way." She got up and opened the galley door for Zoro, who was carrying Luffy, and Chopper who had gotten his bag from Usopp and was digging through it as he walked. Everyone was quick to follow, though a few feet behind at Chopper's request.

_Has Luffy ever even had a fever before now?_ Sanji thought, carefully striding to catch up to Chopper and Zoro without spilling the bowl of water that had been requested of him. As they entered the girls' room, Sanji placed the bowl down on one of the nightstands and set the cloth down beside it.

No sooner had they all piled into the room than Chopper had ordered all but one to leave. The one whom he kept was Robin, because she seemed to him the most level-headed of the silently panicking crew. Everyone else left immediately. None of them spoke, yet all of them had the idea that if they stuck around it would somehow make things worse. Which Chopper didn't help by saying that it was best to stay out of his way.

As soon as the four who were ordered away got onto the main deck, Zoro went to the galley mumbling something like "where'd that sake end up?"

Usopp, who happened to be standing near the main mast a few feet away from Sanji and Nami, asked in a whisper, "What do you think happened?"

Nami shook her head. "I don't know. Sanji-kun?"

Sanji shrugged as he pulled out his cigarettes. Honestly, he wasn't sure what had happened. All he knew was that while Luffy's fever developed, he had been yelling at him about table manners. _That was so stupid_, Sanji thought to himself. It's not like Luffy was doing anything outside of his ordinary rudeness at the dinner table. _But... just because I yelled at him... that doesn't make it my fault. Right? Unless it was the food. Shit._

"Is anyone else feeling sick?" Sanji asked suddenly, dropping his pack of cigarettes and apparently interrupting a conversation that Nami and Usopp were having. They looked at him, apparently shocked by the question.

"What? Sanji-kun, why would we feel sick?" Nami asked, concerned. Usopp just stared; making an expression like the words had been stolen out of his mouth, which might well have been the case.

Sanji shook his head again. "Please answer the question, Nami-san," he urged, keeping his voice as calm as possible. Nami said a quick "no" and Sanji looked to Usopp.

"What's this about?" Nami tried again, as Usopp shook his head.

Feeling slightly relieved by their responses, Sanji decided to tell them his theory. "I'm worried that Luffy may have gotten sick from... From the food," he admitted, bending down to retrieve the abused pack of cigarettes.

"Wait, what? That could happen?" Usopp shouted, baffled, then began raving about feeling a disease coming on.

Nami, however, took it quite differently. "Sanji-kun, that's hardly a possibility." She paused, watching him pull a match from his pocket and light the cigarette that was between his lips. "You've cooked for us countless times, with countless ingredients, and no one's ever had a reaction like that. Surely, you've made that dish before?" Nami looked at Sanji questioningly.

His only reaction was to turn away slightly. "We got some new ingredients at the last island. Some I haven't used before." Sanji moved towards the galley, unwilling to face it if they agreed with his increasingly possible-sounding thought. "I gotta go make sure that Marimo doesn't drink all our stock away," he explained lamely, waving over his shoulder as he entered the galley before Nami could protest.

Zoro didn't even look up from the wine rack when Sanji walked in. He watched the swordsman searching through the bottles with an uncharacteristic thoughtfulness and wondered what he must think of the situation. Sanji wouldn't normally accuse Zoro of "thinking" anything, but he was the first mate and he'd known Luffy the longest, so he was bound to be worried, maybe more than he'd ever show. Hell, Sanji was worried like that. And, if he and Zoro were even the least bit similar, he had no doubt that the brainless swordsman was wondering how Luffy could've gotten sick and how he could help. He pitied Zoro, if only a bit, that his only two ways of alleviating problems were exercising and drinking.

"Don't touch the bottles on the second shelf. They're expensive," Sanji said to the silence, detecting a note of gloominess in his own voice and frowning slightly. Zoro finally acknowledged him, turning his head to the side and raising an eyebrow at the cook. Sanji made a face, trying to say "I'm serious, asshole," and Zoro just shrugged, grabbing a random bottle off the top shelf.

"Didn't you already have an open bottle?" Sanji asked.

"Finished it."

"I see. That's the last one you get for a week."

Zoro groaned in response as Sanji walked over to the counter and began straightening things up. He had made similar threats more than once and he'd kept to them strictly. Zoro knew that and, Sanji could tell from the heavy boot steps and graceless "flop," he didn't feel like being without sake for a week. _That friggin' seaweed would never willingly enter a week of torture. Especially if it meant no booze, _he thought, almost smiling at his victory.

Suddenly, Sanji realized something that he should ask, if only for the sake of routine. He turned to look at Zoro, who was sitting sulkily at the table, staring down the fresh bottle on the table. "Do you feel sick?"

The swordsman met his gaze with a slight glare in his eyes. Sanji could see him teetering on the edge of snapping or insulting the blond or some belligerent action that would be utterly predictable coming from him. But, after a minute, he seemed to catch on that Sanji was being serious and he should respond in kind. "Nah," Zoro grunted. "Why?"

Sanji sighed quietly, relieved even if it was just for the sake of seaweed. _At least if it was the food no one else is reacting like Luffy did,_ Sanji thought with bittersweet consolation. He pulled heavily from his cigarette, but Sanji found no relief in his precious nicotine.

"Oi, shit-cook! I asked you a question!"

Sanji jumped slightly, not really expecting to be growled at. His eyes focused on Zoro, who was still sitting at the table. He seemed to be agitated more than normal at the moment, and had Sanji not known that now was the time to be completely serious, he'd have thrown an insult right back at the idiot moss-head. "I just asked because I thought that maybe one of the new ingredients in the food was some sort of poison. It seems as though that assumption is wrong." Sanji shrugged, his eyes shifting down from Zoro's face to the table. "A perfect waste, if it had been poison. I doubt anybody's coming back to finish any time soon."

Sanji walked over to the table and collected as many plates as he could hold, then brought them to the counter. _Just in case Chopper needs the table for his medical stuff,_ he told himself. Sanji finished clearing the table of plates in a minute or so, leaving only the unopened sake bottle Zoro had pulled out. After staring at the bottle a moment, he noticed Zoro was watching him and frowned. "It's bad luck to watch while someone else works, dumbass," Sanji told him, nonetheless grabbing the bottle and walking back to the wine rack.

At that moment, Nami and Usopp entered the kitchen exchanging whispered quips in an argument too quiet for Sanji to hear. "Hey, Sanji, you don't really think it was the food, do you?" Usopp asked at normal volume, looking paler than usual. Nami elbowed him in the ribs before taking a seat across from Zoro at the table.

Sanji smiled pleasantly enough at Nami, and then turned around and glowered at Usopp. "At this point, I'm not sure. Maybe he's just allergic to calm?" The cook tried his hand at lightening the mood. The worry of his nakama was thick in the air, but each managed a small chuckle.

"Now, it's going to turn out like that just because you suggested it."

"Shut up, Marimo."

"Who knows? Maybe he _is_ allergic to calm?"

"I was joking before. That's not even possible."

"Sanji-kun, 'possible' and 'impossible' don't apply when it comes to our captain."

"Ah! That's right! Maybe he was possessed by a ghost that ate a lot of hot peppers, and that's why he has a fever?"

"That's _reeeeeally_ stupid, Usopp."

"Shut up! It could happen!"

"In that case, perhaps a Sea king on the other side of the ocean farted in Luffy's general direction? _'That could happen'_~"

As soon as Sanji finished that sentence, Robin walked into the galley looking slightly less calm compared to her usual. The others looked up at her expectantly, watching her come to sit down beside Nami. She took a slow breath, eyeing her nakama as she did so.

"It appears," she began, pausing as everyone seemed to lean in a bit, completely silent. "It appears that Captain-san has had a temporary lapse in the stability of his immune system. Doctor-san said that he is unsure why or how that lapse occurred, but it is quite treatable. In fact, he's administered a sort of medicine already to help Captain-san get better." She stopped, smiling at the relieved, but still worried faces of the others.

"When's he gonna be better?" Usopp asked, eyes bugging out for no apparent reason.

Robin looked up at him, as he was standing on the other side of Nami, near the counter. "Doctor-san has estimated that the healing process for his condition would take a month or two to cure, and a bit longer to be completely normal again."

"Yeah, but how long will it take _him_ to get better?" Zoro rolled his eyes as he asked the question. He knew he sounded abnormally anxious, but he didn't much care. The well-being of the Captain, Zoro's best friend, was far more important than appearances.

The others couldn't help but smile at hearing that question. Certainly they all knew their Captain was an extraordinary man and therefore did not doubt that he would be up and about in no more than-

"About a month," Robin stated smoothly, smiling. Her nakama did not share that same attitude.

"WHAT?" they shouted in unison, jaws dropping.

"Luffy can't be bed-ridden for a _month_! That's physically impossible for him!" Nami shouted, standing up and looking down at Robin as if she had said Luffy was going to be purple for the rest of his life.

"Wouldn't that make his condition worse? Resting, I mean," Sanji asked, almost rhetorically as he knew the Captain wouldn't stand for it.

"Che, yeah. He'd die within the first few hours!" Zoro added.

"Z-Zoro!" Usopp's eyes widened at the swordsman's comment. "Don't even say that! It might happen if you say it!" He pointed at Zoro accusingly as the sound of his knees knocking together filled the room.

Zoro snorted. "Too late. And anyway, Luffy isn't going to stay in bed for a month. He'd hardly stay there for a day, even if he was asleep," Zoro said confidently, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest in a bold display of his faith in the captain.

"Wait." Nami put up her hands and her expression was between worried and serious. "Robin, if it would be two months of recovery time for a regular person, why is it a whole month for _Luffy_?"

Robin's smile dropped a little at that question. "Well, it's quite a complicated matter, I'm afraid," Robin sighed, gesturing lightly towards the door. "Doctor-san has told me that Captain-san has, so far, contracted four illnesses in his weakened condition."

"Four? Luffy's _that_ sick?" Usopp yelled over the calm of Robin's voice.

"There's no way," Nami denied, putting her hand to her face and falling deep into her own thoughts.

"Isn't Luffy some kind of superhuman? Robin-chan, certainly he's not sick with _four_ different illnesses?" Sanji implored, walking over to the table and placing his palms on the spot just beside Zoro. He leaned forward a bit, encouraging her to answer.

"Ah, of course, Cook-san, he is quite amazing. However, it is because he's so super and hasn't gotten sick very often that he is suffering so much now," Robin explained.

Sanji felt as if he'd been smacked upside the head with a heavy-duty frying pan. Of course it's because he was invincible that he was so vulnerable now. That was the obvious answer. It did make sense, though if he hadn't known Luffy, Sanji never would have believed it. Thinking twice on the matter, he was surprised Luffy hadn't contracted over thirty illnesses. As soon as his immune system went wacky, he could've been smacked by all the colds, stomach bugs, allergies, viruses and all that shit that he'd avoided over the years. Hell, over just the past few months each of the crew had had their turn being sick, except for Luffy and Chopper.

Sanji mentally shook his head and focused back on the conversation that was now going on between Nami, Robin, and Usopp. Why Zoro wasn't participating, he wasn't sure, but he listened nonetheless. "Swordsman-san, it is getting rather late, and tonight is your watch. If you wouldn't mind?" Robin gestured, again, towards the door, signaling to Zoro exactly what she wanted from him.

Sanji understood why somebody needed to be on watch, but the suggestion was very random, especially for Robin. He would have asked her what was wrong, as is the gentlemanly thing to do, but her calm gaze was focused on Zoro and wavering in the smallest show of concern. He was not one for making mountains out of molehills, but Sanji decided such a phenomenon need not be interrupted.

With nothing more than a grunt, Zoro stood up, hands in his pockets, and headed for the door. He pushed it open with his shoulder just in time for a certain reindeer to come into the room.

Chopper was immediately met with the expectant eyes of his worried nakama and under their gaze he sighed. "He's asleep right now. The medicine I gave him seems to be working, but we'll know more when he wakes up and can say what feels wrong." The little doctor walked around to the side of the table where Zoro had been sitting and hopped onto the bench so he was directly opposite Nami. "He'll be just fine, I promise," Chopper said seriously, looking around the room at everyone's faces, including that of the swordsman who was standing in the doorway watching intently.

A unified relief filled the room. Everyone let out the breath they'd been holding, whether figurative or literal. More than once, Chopper was asked if anyone could go see Luffy. The doctor had turned them down, of course, because their Captain needed his rest, but he allowed that one person should be on "Luffy watch" when everyone else went to bed. Of course there were many volunteers, but the one that ended up on first Luffy watch was Nami, since he was in her bed. The others were tasked with figuring out what the hell they would have been doing right about now had Luffy not gotten sick.

After a few minutes of hand-to-chin humming action from each of the straw hat pirates, Robin went to join Nami in the girls' room and read a book. Usopp went to work on a new invention in the boys' room. Chopper started making more medicine, Zoro went to the crow's nest to keep watch. And Sanji put everyone's half-finished plates of food in the fridge so he could focus on other things.

In all honesty, Sanji was relieved. He knew that he was kind of counting his chickens before they hatched, since the Captain was still sick, but he was just glad it wasn't his fault. What he was feeling, he could not put into words. _I still have a lot to do aside from worry, anyways... I have to figure out at least a few recipes for food that's good for illnesses. That might be in the same category as worrying. I don't know. So what if it is?_

_God, what'll a month without that bottomless pit of energy be like? Wait, no. Not "without." He'll still be here. And he'll still be a bottomless pit. Probably. What if he loses his appetite? All of our food will go bad because it didn't get eaten fast enough. I did buy a lot... Wow, that'll be a huge waste. Geez, even that plant-head doesn't eat _half _as much as Luffy. But, we can't waste all that food...? Ah, maybe Luffy will eat more than ever before while he's sick? Oh my God, we'd need to restock within days. Wait, nobody eats a lot when they're sick. Holy shit, what if he throws up? The bathroom will explode off the ship and run away screaming... That'd be funny to watch, at least. Okay, not so much. Now I hope he doesn't throw up. It's settled then. "Don't over-feed a sick Luffy."_

_I just thought that like other people are going to respond. Maybe I _have_ gone crazy? Mental note, A: I'm crazy. B: Never say that out loud, lest you be barraged by another set of unoriginal insults from the marimo. C: Don't refer to yourself in the third person, even in your thoughts. Wait a second, where is everybody?_

Sanji looked up from the book where he had been reviewing the meal plans and rationing for the next few weeks. The room was empty except for the slightly confused cook. He raised a brow, noting how quiet it was. Deciding against just sitting there like an idiot, Sanji left the galley with a purpose.

The first thing he saw when he pushed the door open was Zoro half way up the main mast, or down, by the looks of it. Sanji's confused gaze drifted over the deck. _No one's here?_ "Oi, Marimo!" Sanji called out, just as Zoro's foot touched the deck.

Zoro jumped, apparently not having realized before just then that Sanji was there. He stepped down heavily on the deck and glared over his shoulder at Sanji. "What the hell do you want, shit-cook?" Zoro growled, turning to face the cook for the express purpose of glaring at him. The swordsman looked like he was personally put-out by Sanji's existence, but that seemed to be his normal expression.

"Did everyone go to bed already?" Sanji asked, choosing to ignore Zoro's attitude.

As the words left the cook's mouth, Zoro narrowed his eyes, his brows furrowed, and his mouth hung open creating a "what the fuck?" expression. "Huuuuh...?" Zoro's expression turned into a slight smirk. "They went to bed an hour ago. Your eyebrow givin' you brain damage or somethin'?"

Said eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the question. "What'd you say, plant?" Sanji asked, using a sour-polite tone. He reached into his pockets, glaring daggers at Zoro. He ran his fingers over the box that rested on the palm of his left hand. It was slightly squished-looking from having hit the deck earlier. "Haha... Hit the deck," Sanji mumbled to himself.

oOo

Zoro raised his eyebrows and strained his ears. _The crazy love-cook is talking to himself... What the hell?_ Zoro watched the afore mentioned cook trace weird patterns on the box of cigarettes, then pull one out, put the box back in his pocket, and place the small cylinder between his lips. At that moment, Sanji's head snapped up as if he'd been forced from his thoughts. He looked around slowly, and his eyes met Zoro's.

Zoro watched with growing curiosity as Sanji stared back at him for a minute. That wasn't the first time that evening he'd seen Sanji acting strange and spacey. At one point, he'd walked into the kitchen not so very quietly and gotten himself a drink and the cook hadn't even looked up from his book.

The cook looked away from Zoro, reaching into another of his many pockets and pulling out a matchbox. "Keep staring at me and I might have to kick your ass," Sanji sneered as he lit his cigarette and flicked the match overboard.

That remark drove Zoro out of curiosity and pulled his face into the same smirk it had been in not two minutes ago. "Shut up, I ain't staring at you, I'm staring at that dart-board you call an eyebrow!" Zoro laughed as Sanji glared at him.

"Stupid marimo! I didn't know seaweed could stare!" Sanji remarked, taking his cigarette between his fingers and waving it at Zoro to emphasize his insult.

"I'm not fucking seaweed!"

"Tell that to the genes, Marimo-head!"

"Shitty curly-cue!"

"You wanna fight, Moss-for-brains?"

"Bring it on, you-"

"_Shut up! Luffy's sleeping, you idiots!_"Nami's voice hissed angrily from the doorway of the storage room. Sanji and Zoro paused, mere inches away from each other in the middle of the ship, Zoro gripping the collar of Sanji's shirt, Sanji standing on one foot with the other suspended two feet off the ground, ready to launch his first attack.

Without warning, Sanji slipped away from Zoro's war-hold and danced towards his Nami-san, nearly causing Zoro to fall over. The swordsman straightened himself up almost immediately. He'd been looking forward to a little fight to clear his head, but his sparring partner would apparently rather flirt with a witch.

"Forgive me, Nami-swan~!" Sanji sang, wriggling around her with hearts in his eyes. "We'll be quiet now, I promise~!"

The navigator sighed, looking at Sanji with an annoyed expression. "You ought to be going to bed soon, Sanji-kun," Nami told him, resigning back into the storage room and shutting the door behind herself.

Sanji turned to Zoro with an evil expression. "Look what you did," he hissed, "now the magnificent Nami-swan is mad at me!" A haunting aura surrounded him, his anger almost palpable.

Zoro was about to respond, but as quickly as it had appeared, Sanji's aura faded away. His head drooped slightly and his cigarette just hung off his lip, a large part of it just ash. Zoro scrunched his nose up slightly, leaning back in a pitiful attempt at getting away from the cook and his rapidly changing mood. "What?" Zoro asked slowly.

Sanji looked at him, and choked down a sigh. "I'd almost forgotten about Luffy," Sanji answered as he walked to the railing and looked out over the ocean.

"Oh" was all Zoro could say. Of course, since they were insulting each other, he'd been thinking about fighting, but after he started in again with Sanji it never crossed his mind that he _should_ be thinking about his Captain. _Why is the cook being so damn bipolar today anyway? He should be thinking about Luffy, too. It's really starting to piss me off._

"I got something to finish up in the kitchen. Get back up there and keep watch." Sanji nodded his head in the direction of the crow's nest, effectively smooshing Zoro's attempt at being a, God forbid, _friend_.

Slightly taken aback, Zoro decided he wouldn't listen to that shit-cook. He'd gotten down from the crow's nest for a reason, after all. What was it again...? He was sitting up there, thinking about training... Oh, right.

A deafening growl ripped its way to the cook's ears as he opened the galley door. Zoro stood up straighter, blushing ever so slightly at the substantial cry for food that his stomach had released in perfect time with his remembering what he came down to do.

Sanji smiled, barely turning enough for Zoro to see it. "Come on, then," the cook said, laughing and holding the door open as if waiting for Zoro. The swordsman was quite sure that this day was going to be his last with pride. He shook his head, deciding that kicking the cook's ass tomorrow should fix this, and trudged into the galley.

oOo

Sanji shook his head, following Zoro to the fridge and reaching in over his shoulder. He grabbed a plate that looked like it hadn't been touched. He held it just low enough for Zoro to see what it was, as he was bending down a bit to look in the refrigerator. Zoro rose to his full height again. "That ain't mine," he grunted, raising an eyebrow.

Sanji smirked. "Tell that to your stomach." He shoved the plate into Zoro's hands and, without another word, returned to his previously abandoned planner. Sanji sat down in the middle of one bench with his back to Zoro and read over what he had been writing. And then he read it again. And again. And one more time and he still didn't know how it happened.

"_I still have a lot to do aside from worry, anyways... I have to figure at least a few recipes for food that's good for illnesses. That might be in the same category as worrying? I don't know. I can't help it._

_God, what'll a month without that bottomless pit of energy be like? Wait, no, not 'without'. He'll still be here. And, he'll still be a bottomless pit. Probably? What if he loses his appetite? All of our food will go bad because it didn't get eaten fast enough. I did buy a lot... Wow, that'll be a huge waste. Geez, even that plant-head doesn't eat __**half**__ as much as Luffy. But, we can't waste all that food...? Ah, maybe Luffy will eat more than ever before while he's sick? Oh my God, we'd need to restock within days. Wait, nobody eats a lot when they're sick. Holy shit, what if he throws up? The bathroom will explode off the ship and run away screaming... That'd be fucking funny to watch, at least. Okay, not so much. Now I hope he doesn't throw up. It's settled then. "Don't over-feed a sick Luffy."_

_I just thought that like other people are going to respond... Maybe I _have_ gone crazy? Mental note, A: I'm crazy. B: Never say that out loud, lest you be barraged by another set of unoriginal insults from the marimo. C: Don't refer to yourself in the third person, even in your thoughts. Wait a second, where is everybody?'_

"What... the hell?" _I wrote down all my thoughts during that time…? When did that start?_

Behind him, he heard Zoro take the two steps necessary to peer over the cook's shoulder. "Hmm...?" In the corner of his vision, Sanji could see Zoro squinting. "_'Holy shit, what if he throws up?'_" Zoro read aloud.

The cook let out a weird yelp and threw his arms over the page. "What the fuck, Marimo? I thought you were supposed to be eating!" Sanji shouted, quickly closing his planner to hide the accidental contents. Zoro laughed at that reaction. A lot. Sanji glared at the cackling marimo as said marimo took a seat on the opposite bench. "Shut up! I'll make sushi out of you!" Sanji threatened, sliding the book closer to himself just in case.

"That the kind of stuff you're always scribbling in there? '_Holy shit, what if he throws up?'_ What the hell's that about?" asked Zoro, still laughing a little as he dug into his food eagerly. Offsetting his annoying tone, Zoro hummed with a mouthful of food and made the slightest little happy face that, on Zoro, was really just a less-prominent frown.

Sanji smiled at the wordless praise of his cooking. It was all he could hope for from the seaweed. He always loved to hear everyone tell him how good the meal was, so it kind of irked him that Zoro didn't say anything. He only spoke about the food when he had a complaint, and that pissed Sanji off to no extent. With that thought in mind, he said this; "Yeah, I write down stuff like, 'What ingredients should I put in the food to make this bastard have the worst diarrhea of his life?' and 'I wonder if this poison has taste? Will they know if it's in the food?'"

The swordsman gasped through his nose and appeared to try and say something but he interrupted himself with a horrible, rattling coughing fit. Sanji watched with barely disguised amusement as Zoro sprang from his seat and catapulted himself at the sink, all the while trying to contain his mouthful of food and not choke.

Zoro seized a glass from the dish drying rack beside the sink and tried to throw the faucet on three different times and missed. When, on the fourth try, he finally succeeded, Sanji lost it. He was laughing so hard it barely made a sound anymore. He almost fell off the bench with the force of his laughter and he actually did fall forward onto the table, arms crossed between his head and the tabletop.

Zoro slammed the glass down on the counter with enough force to just about break it. "It's not that fucking funny," Zoro rasped, coughing a few more times as he stomped over to the table. Sanji's laughter was barely calming down when he sat up to get another look at Zoro's priceless expression, instead getting an eyeful of angry glare.

"It really is," Sanji insisted, still laughing in little bursts.

"Shut up! So fucking mature, sick bastard," Zoro sneered, making sure Sanji saw that his hand was very close to his swords in a vaguely threatening way. Sanji merely smirked up at him with the smuggest expression he could make without looking in the mirror until the swordsman gave up and clomped over to his previous seat. Except that he went right past his seat and over to the wine rack.

Zoro grabbed a large bottle off the second shelf, one of the best wines that Sanji had reserved for the ladies, and started towards the door.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?" Sanji called, standing abruptly from his seat. Zoro stopped, but he didn't acknowledge the cook. That looked a lot like he was trying to leave without finishing his food to Sanji. "I was joking about messing with your food, asshole."

The swordsman glanced at Sanji with that somewhat dumb-looking frown that was his normal expression. "I'm not sure I trust you. That shit's exactly your kind of messed-up humor," Zoro responded with one of the most unfriendly looks Sanji had ever seen. Maybe Luffy's sudden illness made him grouchy, but he was being entirely too cranky and stubborn about something that, if he looked at it just a hair closer, would be very obviously wrong.

"Maybe it is," Sanji hissed, stepping over the bench towards Zoro with narrowed eyes. "But do you really think I would do anything that would cause such a gross waste of food? No. In case you didn't get that, no I fucking wouldn't. Now sit your ass down and eat or I will break every bone in your body and force feed you," he threatened with every intention to follow through.

He watched with the exasperated amusement of world-weary parent of a young child as the realization dawned on Zoro's face. It was subtle, perhaps a tad unconvinced, but he understood at least. With simmering-down annoyance and reluctance clear on his face, Zoro thudded back to the bench and flopped with his usual grace down in front of his plate.

Sanji sat back slightly, just enough to bask in his pride at winning an argument without doling out a single blow. Zoro didn't seem to be fully backing down from the threat, but that was fine. He knew the saying about things that aren't broken, and the one about sleeping dogs, and both seemed to apply. A win was a win, in any case.

As the cook returned to detailing certainly not diary-like entries in his book, he watched Zoro eat with barely disguised enthusiasm. He, himself, was not entirely convinced of the food's innocence in the whole situation they were in, but he was mostly convinced by the expertise of their little doctor. Still, he would keep an eye on everyone, starting with the seaweed in front of him.

oOo

_He keeps looking at me. Why does he keep looking at me? He isn't even being subtle, the shitty ero-cook._ Zoro did his level best to ignore the stare he felt unwaveringly on him. Was the cook hoping for praise or something? He wasn't going to get it, that much was for damn sure. He'd be waiting forever. The swordsman looked down at the food he had yet to finish and thoroughly mulled over whether or not he wanted to be stared at the whole time. It really didn't take him as long as he thought to give in and acknowledge the stare. "Stop staring at me," he blurted.

Sanji sat up a bit straighter, frowning at the order. "I'm not staring at you," he countered crassly. "I'm staring at… Wait. Didn't we have this argument earlier?"

The context did seem familiar. Zoro supposed they had a lot of similar arguments, but that one must have been recent. He couldn't quite recall, though. Did they have an argument about staring? Maybe it wasn't exactly the same. It wasn't in the kitchen or some small detail like that. Oh, wait.

"It was the other way around," Zoro acknowledged out loud and, surprisingly, he heard Sanji saying the same thing with him.

They looked at each other with that familiar competitive fire in their eyes. Zoro started to shout about the damn dart brow copying him, but just as he opened his mouth the cook, of all things, began to laugh.

It wasn't like earlier when Zoro was choking and Sanji was just having a grand old time. The blond chef was just barely chuckling in a tired, breathy way. He looked so weary all of the sudden, in the orangey lantern light of the kitchen, with an equally weary sound coming from him.

He had half a mind to laugh, too, since the cook found their situation so damn funny, but mostly he was surprised. Zoro didn't get it, really. Sanji was either stupid or crazy to giggle about something so strange. To hell with it. This time he'd ask, but only once, not again. "Why are you laughing?" The words came out unnaturally gentle and curious sounding when he'd meant them to be annoyed, but he'd already said them.

Sanji immediately straightened himself. "Because I'm fucking tired, Marimo," he answered abruptly, wiping his eye as if he'd been laughing hard enough to have to. The cook stood from the bench and clapped his book shut noisily. He walked over to the cabinet and put his book way up in the top, closed the cabinet and turned back to Zoro. "I'm going to bed," he stated, grabbing a lantern off the wall and leaving without another word.

Zoro stared after him, his mind petering out in the silence after hours of overworking it. He remembered that morning when he was up in the crow's nest for his early nap. It was yet a very normal day at that time, but he had a feeling all those hours ago that that day was going to be bad. He cursed his gut feeling, but more so the fact that he hadn't acted on it. Maybe there wasn't anything he could've done to keep Luffy from getting sick, but he could've done something, certainly. All the others, they were so deeply worried, even if Robin was like a robot and Chopper tried to be objective, he could see it in all of them.

The door opened a crack and the dim light of a lantern filtered in and joined the rest of the lantern light in the kitchen. "There better not be any dirty dishes left out when I get up in the morning," the cook's voice ordered quietly and the door shut promptly afterwards.

The swordsman listened to his retreating footsteps and sighed, long and loud. Of course he had to do the dishes. Apparently, getting on Zoro's nerves was how Sanji coped. That was damn annoying. He would get tired of it very quickly, but if having something else to fume over would keep one of his nakama, even the most annoying one, from blaming themselves, he could do that at least.

Zoro got up and washed his dishes as quickly as possible so he could get back on watch duty. He left them in the drying rack as a sort of rebellious gesture against the cook. _I'm nobody's chore boy,_ he tried to convey. And he wasn't. If Sanji had a problem with that, he could deal with it.

As he was turned to leave, Zoro's eyes scanned over the kitchen one last time and hovered on the cabinet he'd seen Sanji put his book in. He could see the cover of the book and an excerpt from its pages in his mind. _"Holy shit, what if he throws up?"_

Zoro smirked to himself, inching over to the cabinet. He'd probably get hell for it… No, he definitely would, but… he really wanted to see what kind of crazy shit the cook had written in there.

_Alright. Just this once_.

_**I think that went well! ^^**_

_**Honestly, I'm not really sure about some of the middle bits, but, all I can say is this story will get better! Especially as a certain mhrmf, and that mfwef start to... mh-hm-hm!**_

_**Haha, in any case, I do appreciate reviews!**_

_**Oh, I am going to have fun writing this!**_


	2. To Make Bad Worse!

_**I'm afraid something may have been a bit... strange in the first chapter. I apologize for that, if you noticed it as well. I figured out that I can't really raise the rating, though in the beginning I said I might...**_

_**Honestly, I intended to do many things with this story, but, I really am not ready yet! T_T**_

_**Well, anyway, this chapter is reeeeeeaally long. Like, over 9,000 words. Enjoy!**_

Faint, blue sunlight made it's way through the cracks in the wood, down into the boys' room. The little doctor was putting some things from beside his hammock into his bag. No one else was awake quite yet, and, the only reason Chopper is awake is because he needed to check on the Captain. If he hadn't been full to the brim with doctor-ly responsibility, he'd be snoozing along with his peaceful-looking Nakama well into the morning.

The reindeer let out a loud, adorable yawn, before knocking on the hatch that led to the girls' room. Even though the sound was quiet, it took only a moment for Nami to open the door and allow Chopper access to his patient's bed. As efficiently as his tired little body could, Chopper gave Luffy a routine check-up, checked his vitals and so on. "Did he wake up at all last night, or this morning?" Chopper asked, quietly, making sure not to wake Robin. The latter was sitting in an armchair, holding a book, and leaning forward slightly, asleep.

Nami shook her head. "At least, he didn't open his eyes." She corrected, sitting at the foot of the bed opposite the one that Luffy was in. The doctor nodded to himself, placing a hoof on Luffy's forehead. "His fever has gone down considerably. Did he stir at all?" Again, Nami shook her head. "He didn't move. But, he was making noise at some point... A couple hours ago, I think. He seemed to be giving orders." The navigator put her hand to her chin. "I think he might've had a dream about being the Pirate king." She smiled.

Chopper smiled, then looked at Nami. "And, are you and Robin alright?" He asked, even quieter than before. Nami raised a brow at his question. "Is there a reason for us not to be?" Despite herself, Nami yawned after she asked that question. For the first time, the doctor noticed immense purple bags under the redhead's eyes. He temporarily put aside the urge to prescribe sleep to her, and elaborated for his previous question. "I mean... emotionally? Everyone seemed pretty shaken." Chopper turned back to Luffy. "Myself included."

The navigator fidgeted a little, but, remained seated. "Yeah. That was unavoidable. I mean, this is LUFFY we're talking about!" Nami said, just a bit loud. She quickly covered her mouth and looked around. With a sigh of relief, she continued, "I don't know what anyone else is feeling, because I haven't had much of a chance to talk to anyone about it, but, as far as I'm concerned... This is a bad sign. The wispy clouds that somehow cover up the grey ones, right before the storm." She waved her hands to add emphasis, "And we can't even handle a hypothetical storm without him."

The doctor nodded, sitting in the floor beside his patient's bed. "I can understand that. It is rather disconcerting." Chopper fiddled with his bag of medical things, and glanced at the door between the girls' and boys' rooms. "Everyone should be able to manage, though. As long as we don't run into too much trouble, that is."

The two conscious beings in the girls' room froze when a long, quiet yawn came from next door. Nami raised an eyebrow at Chopper. He was puzzled by that for a moment, before mouthing '_Sanji_' to her. The redhead still looked confused for a moment, before nodding in comprehension. _It's going to be breakfast time in an hour or so,_ She thought. _Geez, I need to sleep..._

"Hey, Chopper? Would you mind watching Luffy for a bit? I think I'm going to take a nap." Nami put on a tired smile for the doctor, and he agreed without hesitation. Of course, he had been about to tell her she needed sleep anyway, and it's not like he was going to leave his patient. Especially not when his patient is their curiously sick Captain...

The blonde cook rolled out of his hammock, barely catching himself from falling forward. _I should've gone to bed a lot earlier than I did..._ He thought, stretching the sleep from his body, before ascending to the deck. He had grabbed his jacket from it's spot folded up on the floor, and, upon stepping out into the open air, decided that he was smart to do so. A rather powerful breeze blew past, engulfing the cook in the chill of the morning.

He shivered slightly, slipping his arms into the sleeves of his jacket, and then stepped up to the railing on the eastern side of the ship. Sanji hummed appreciatively at the beautiful sun rise. A few light clouds were scattered about the blue-ish purple sky, and, hugging the ocean in the distance, a sliver of orange could be seen. A truly peaceful sight, if ever there was one. _I'm glad I got up now..._

Sanji sighed, before going to the bathroom. He washed up a bit, and then stood in front of the mirror. He looked himself over a few times, straightening his shirt and what not, preparing himself for a long day. _Hmm, normal... Normal... Normal... Ah, yes. This, I can do._ The cook nodded to himself, and left to the kitchen.

The sun seemed to rise a bit faster as Sanji got to work on breakfast. Though it wasn't terribly grand, Sanji was proud of his creation. He'd made a breakfast casserole; which is basically made by putting biscuit dough in the bottom of a pan, mixing together un-cooked eggs, vegetables, and sausage, and pouring them into the pan, then baking it for a bit.

After taking his sweet time on making it, once he put it in the oven, all Sanji wanted to do was sit down. But, of course, there were dishes to do. He took a deep breath and walked over to the sink.

Sanji just stood there a minute, staring at the empty sink, and the two dishes sitting in the dish drying rack. _Wow. He listened._ The cook smiled; glad that at least he didn't have to kill a Marimo so early in the morning, because surely he would have blown up if the dishes that he specifically told that seaweed to wash had been sitting in the sink.

Pulling out of his slight daze, Sanji got to cleaning all the bowls and utensils he'd used to cook, while he waited on breakfast to be done. As he put the last dish aside, washed and dried, Sanji looked out one of the port holes. The ocean's portrayal of the sun this morning was gorgeous. _Come to think of it, why isn't anyone up yet on such a beautiful day?_

Almost like his thoughts had been broadcast for his Nakama to hear, Robin entered the galley, shortly followed by Ussop. They'd apparently been talking to Chopper, and were now catching Sanji up on the very, _very_ few known details of Luffy's illnesses.

"-So, he said that it could've been caused by something he touched, or something he ingested." Robin finished, smiling as usual. Ussop nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. "That narrows it down to everyone and everything." He said, sticking up his nose, and making a face of fake concentration.

"Mm-mm. You can eliminate Nakama, and the Merry. He's come into contact with each of us, and the ship, of course, far too often for it to affect him now." Sanji stated, getting up from the table, and checking on his casserole. Robin hummed. "You might not eliminate the crew quite yet. One of us might have come into contact with the substance that caused this reaction in Luffy." She said, watching the cook thoughtfully. He looked back at her over his shoulder, and smiled. "Ah, Robin-chan! You're as wise as ever!"

Though his words were enthusiastic enough, Robin noted a slight _'disinterest'_. _Or, perhaps, more of a distractedness...?_ She thought, turning to Ussop. "Sniper-san, perhaps one of your inventions can be of assistance to Doctor-san?" She suggested, lightly.

Ussop thought for a minute, putting his hand to his chin. "I don't know. I'll have to check. Back in a bit!" With that, he left the room, his mind set on being helpful to his Captain's recovery. That exchange held a certain peculiarity that Sanji couldn't quite put his finger on, so, once Ussop left the room, he asked "Is something wrong, Robin-chan?"

At that Robin just smiled, a hint of 'ulterior-motive' behind her eyes. "I should hope not, Cook-san."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "O-kay... Was there something you wanted to talk about?" He inquired, returning to the table, and sitting down across from Robin. She merely shrugged, saying "Not particularly. Though, now that you mention it," She paused, watching Sanji's curious expression. "I thought I might ask you about Captain-san."

The cook seemed to draw in his breath and hold it very briefly, but, noticeably enough for Robin to catch it. "Alright, then. I don't think I can really tell you anything you don't already know, but, I'll give it my best, Robin-chan." Sanji smiled charmingly at her, gesturing with his hand for her to ask her question. The archaeologist leaned in, putting some weight onto her elbows on the table, and folding her fingers together under her chin, and said without question, "You think it's your fault."

Sanji's eyes bugged out a bit at that. _That wasn't really a question, huh? Robin-chan is truly intelligent... Or am I obvious? Oh, dear lord, please let it be the former!_

He composed himself after what seemed like minutes of staring, and restored his smile. "I suppose it might be. I mean, you did say that it could've been something he ate, and I'm in charge of shopping and cooking, so, if it was food, I'd be at fault." He tried to sound calm, telling himself that it was exactly true and anyone would think of it. That part was true. Anyone might think that the person handling the food would have caused this. But, anyone would also come to the conclusion that it was unavoidable, and an accident. Sanji, in this case, was not 'anyone'.

Robin seemed to know his thought pattern, and quickly decided to head it off at the pass. "Cook-san, you are not at fault. Luffy-san became ill by his own doing." She said, in a very definite tone. Sanji laughed a bit, then said "Robin-chan, you can hardly blame Luffy! He is himself, after all."

The dark haired woman just shook her head. "I did not say that I blame Captain-san. I am saying that I _don't_ blame _you_. No one does."

At that moment, an alarmed shout caught the attention of the two sitting at the table. Sanji stood up, rushed out the door, and asked "What's going on?"

The first things he saw were Zoro standing at the front of the boat, and Ussop standing beside him with the binoculars, gaping. "My eyes must be playing tricks... You gotta be wrong, Zoro..." Ussop spouted lifelessly, holding out the binoculars to Zoro. The swordsman scoffed, taking the binoculars from the now shaking sniper. He put them up so he could see through, and looked on with great focus showing on his face. "Marines!" Zoro announced, holding the binoculars up with one hand, and pointing out at the horizon with the other. "Perfect..." Sanji groaned, putting his hand to his forehead. "How many?"

"I can't count them from here!"

"I meant the ships, idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot, shitty cook!"

"Then, how many ships are there?"

"...Just three... Far as I can tell."

"Far as you can tell?"

"Hey!" Chopper came out onto the deck. "What's going on up here?" He asked, jumping up to the railing and holding himself up so he could see what they were all looking at. Before he noticed the ships, Zoro said "Marines. Three ships. They aren't moving too fast, though." He observed the ships once more through the binoculars, before handing them to the reindeer.

Chopper accepted them, though he hardly needed them, and looked out at the ships. After a moment, he hummed. "I wonder what's going on. They really don't seem to be moving very fast, and they're sailing slightly off to the side, so maybe we can pass by them?" He suggested.

"That would be our best option, but, if we can see them, they can probably see us." Robin pointed out, coming to stand beside Sanji and place her hand on the railing. "Perhaps, we should ask Navigator-san to give her opinion on the success of evasion at this point?"

"Mm, no," Chopper shook his head. "She's resting after watching over Luffy all night. She needs her sleep."

"But, she's the expert on this, right?" Ussop asked, putting out his hand for the binoculars that were hanging from a string around Chopper's neck. The doctor gave up the binoculars without a word, and turned to Zoro. "What should we do?" He asked.

The swordsman flinched a bit, staring down at the adorable reindeer. "I dunno... Why are you asking me?"

Sanji sighed at the dumb sounding response. "Look, here's what we should do: We should stop acting like a bunch of blind toddlers, and try and avoid a fight with the Marines. If they see us, well, then, it was unavoidable in the first place!" Sanji gestured towards the Marine ships that were now visible to the naked eye. "Everyone needs to get a grip! Business as usual. _We can handle three Marine ships!_"

All eyes were on Sanji as he took charge, including those of a dumbfounded swordsman. He was not dumbfounded because Sanji knew what to say to get everyone going. He was dumbfounded because he didn't realize before then that he had been acting different from the usual. Well, and the fact that the stupid cook was trying to tell him what to do...

"Fine." Zoro said, before heading off to alter the ship's course further to the right. Slowly, everyone began following their example, preparing the cannons just in case, and setting everything up for maximum speed.

Chopper had gone back down to check on Luffy and Nami, and Robin was managing the sails, while Ussop and Sanji set up the cannons, and Zoro steered the ship. Though it wasn't a familiar set up for them, the lacking in Mugiwara pirates managed everything with minimal error and injury.

Except for one thing; No one is watching the Marine ships.

As the requirements were tended to, the Marine ship leading slightly for the other two began to alter it's course towards the Going Merry...

"Captain, sir, they don't seem to have noticed us yet, sir!" A Marine stood to perfect attention, sounding rather pleased with himself. His Captain continued filling out paperwork on his desk, barely taking a notice to the Marine. He had noticed, though. He'd heard that the infamous Mugiwara pirates were sailing leisurely towards his ship.

And now, he could hear in his head the sound of his immediate superior calling him by his soon-to-be promotion title. _'Commodore'._

He smirked. "Continue slowly, but, turn twelve degrees to the left. I'm going to catch those damned pirates." He said, dismissing the Marine from his office.

"Ah! Sanji, this is bad!" The doctor squeaked, leaning over the railing to get a closer look at the Marine ship that had advanced considerably over the short period of time that he had been below deck. The blonde walked over to the front of the ship, following Chopper's gaze. "Don't worry about it. Remember, we're moving, too, and they're still a ways away. We can still pass them." He said, confident in his Captain-ing skills.

"But, it looks like they're turning to us!" Chopper announced, just loud enough for everyone on deck to hear. And that sentence, in it's ambiguous and vague entirety, caused Ussop to shout "THEY'RE GONNA CATCH US?"

"Shut up! Nobody said that!" Zoro slapped him upside the head. "You're gonna wake Luffy and Nami if you keep shouting like that." He added, eyeing Ussop as if he'd just trumped anything the sniper could say. And, he had. The sniper clapped his hands over his mouth, and said "Orr owee reor grrrgg?"

"WHAT?"

Ussop rolled his eyes, and uncovered his mouth. "What're we gonna do?"

Sanji made a thoughtful expression. "That's a good question... Fight or flight...?" He tapped on his chin with his pointer finger, then shrugged. "Ah, what the hell? Let's fight!" He smirked at his own statement.

"Cook-san, are you so sure about that?" Robin said, climbing down from the crow's nest. Sanji turned to her, puzzled. "What do you mean, Robin-chan?" He asked. _Does she doubt me, or something? Oh, Robin-chan, have you no faith~?_

"What she means is; What if they're really _strong_?" Ussop said, taking a step forward and flinging his arms wide apart to further emphasize his last word. The dark haired woman nodded in agreement. "I would not have said it so very like that, thank you, Sniper-san. But, I do believe we would be in quite the situation if they were stronger, or there were more than we expected, and, perhaps, got below deck?" Robin suggested, tapping lightly on the wood of the ship.

"Then, we should keep trying to get away until they fire the first shot?" Zoro questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. Sanji listened to their conversation thoughtfully, and looked up at the Marine ships. He hummed before interjecting into the conversation; "In any case, we should probably wake Nami-san. Just to be prepared..."

The others looked at him, then at Chopper. The doctor sighed. "I'll be right back." He said, and then he left for the girls' room. "Okay, so, we're gonna fight?" Zoro asked, looking to the cook. Despite whom the question was coming from, and the fact that his Robin-chan was skeptical about it, Sanji smirked and said "Yeah! Ussop! Man the cannon at the port ward side. See if you can hit them!"

A brief expression of fear and uncertainty crossed Ussop's face, before he regained a look of confidence, and left with a "Roger!" Soon after, Sanji assigned himself the job of watchman, and told Zoro and Robin to get ready.

"Hey! What's so important that I can't sleep?" Nami's voice called from behind the closed door of the storage room. The previously mentioned door flew open a second later, and a groggy redhead in wrinkled clothing trudged out. Sanji leaned over the edge of the crow's nest to greet her. "Ah~ Nami-swan! You're so adorable when you've just woken up! ~" He fawned. "It's really not that big a deal, Nami-san, _really_, but there are a few Marine ships approaching~"

"NOW?" Nami shrieked, walking briskly to the railing on the left side of the ship. "Great timing as always..." She mumbled, watching the sky. This puzzled everyone. "Is something the matter, Navigator-san?" Robin asked, taking a step toward the redhead. Nami face-palmed, shoulders sinking. "The atmosphere is changing, and fast. There's going to be a hell of a storm within the hour!" She paused, straightening up and watching the suddenly very apparent wispy grey clouds that slowly let into thick ones. "We need to get everything secured! I've got to get some things in here-" Anything further she might have said was muffled when she stepped into her workroom and shut the door behind herself.

Though Sanji had been acting as leader till then, Nami's orders could not be defied, so the available persons set to tying down anything of worth. The swordsman went to the storage room, accompanied by Robin, to tie down all their gunpowder, and other things that could easily ruin.

To tell the truth, Zoro was thoroughly confused by this matter. He'd been sleeping after a long night of watch duty, on deck, of course, and had woken up with an uneasy feeling. After a minute of simply sitting, looking around the ship, he pulled up the binoculars and peered around until the Marine ships caught his eye, and asked whoever was closest to look. He hadn't a clue why, but, the feeling had grown since then.

He fastened a heavy-duty knot over three barrels, tying them down as best he could. After that, he looked around him. Robin was tying down some of their food stock, and securing some cannonballs at the same time, using another set of her arms. _That's pretty damn useful, hm? I could come up with some fuckin' awesome sword technique if I had that many arms._

Feeling his gaze on her, Robin looked over her shoulder in Zoro's general direction. "Yes?" She asked, tilting her head back the slightest bit. Zoro shook his head. "Jus' thinking." And, with that, the swordsman took to securing another pile of loose crates.

Though he'd woken into trouble this morning, Zoro'd been distracted as per his usual, thinking of strange things. Training, mostly, but, a good part of his thoughts had been occupied by that diary, or whatever it was he had read during the night. There were several times, when reading Sanji's diary, that he had to suppress roaring laughter, whether for stupidity, or plain hilarity. That cook had some damn funny thought patterns!

Zoro had read some from the beginning where it was just mostly a cooking catalog and what not. Thoughts were interspersed between meal planning and budget checks. All in all, Zoro'd thought it was worth his time to read it. If nothing else, there was plenty there that he could hold over the cook's head and torture him with. Oh, that would be fun.

Of course, now was not the appropriate time to be black-mailing people. Besides, he thought, reading through the _whole_ thing, before telling Sanji, was the way to get maximum amusement.

"_Gah! Lookit! They're getting closer pretty fast now_!" Chopper's high voice was muffled, but audibly alarmed to the two in the storage room. Zoro looked towards the door as he threw some smaller items into a heavy chest. "_Well, don't just stand there! Sanji-kun, adjust the sails! -(Hai, Nami-swan~!)- Chopper, I'll need some help in here! -(Coming!)-_" Nami ordered loudly. "Perhaps, we should give them a hand out there?" Robin suggested, smiling at Zoro. That smile always threw him off, even now, when the dark haired woman had a rare occasion where she said something that made sense to him. Snapping out of his minute stupor, Zoro nodded. "Yeah." He absently rested his hand on the hilt of one of his swords.

Once they left the storage room, they were taken in by a darkness that could not be that of a lovely summer morning. Thick clouds, a grey-ish purple color, filled the sky and reached out to embrace the now choppy waters. The wind was relatively calm, but, judging by the way Nami had ordered Sanji to adjust the sails, it was going to pick up, and hard. A thin mist had covered the deck, preventing anyone but Chopper from seeing their own feet, and growing higher with the seconds, extending as far as to partially cover the rapidly approaching Marine ships.

Several heads could be seen aboard the ship that was leading the other two. It was a bit larger than it's followers, and seemed to carry with it a certain strength in aura. It was strange to Zoro, but, he could still feel power coming from the ship. _Maybe somebody worth fighting is on that ship?_ The swordsman smirked to himself. It was only a hope, but, perhaps this unfortunate turn of events could help in his training? In that case, this could be fun.

He shouldn't even be worried to begin with! It's not like the absence of their Captain could completely affect the outcome of a battle with some pathetic Marines. Yeah! _What the hell'm I worried about, anyway?_

To make bad worse, it began to hail, extracting a few curses from the feverishly preparing Straw hats, especially the blonde cook, who'd been tying up the sails half way, in order to attain some speed from the growing winds, but, not get carried away.

He'd been up there for an unnecessary amount of time, because he felt as if he was being watched. Which might well be accurate, as it seems, because the Marine ships were almost upon them, close enough for the faces of the individual Marines to be seen, so, now the cook was paranoid that the Marine faces he could see were staring right back at him.

Not like that's un-heard of or anything, but, it tended to mess with ones stomach, through the same means as messing with their head. And, besides the feeling of being watched, Sanji had been feeling slightly annoyed that his breakfast that he made was going to have to wait. Okay, _fucking_ annoyed. _Enemies and storms and shit can wait until after breakfast, right?_ _Course not! The universe is against me this week!_

"Sanji-kun, get down here, please!" (_Woah, she said 'please'?)_ Nami called, standing in the doorway to the galley, holding her coat a few inches above her head to shield herself from the hail. Sanji made his way down the mast, post-haste, eagerly rushing to his Nami-san, despite having to stop just outside the galley in the heavy down-pour of hail. "Yes?" He asked, expecting another order. Instead, Nami stepped aside, holding the door open with her back and gesturing for him to enter.

If that wasn't surprising enough, he discovered that everyone was sitting around the kitchen table, with the exception of their Captain. "What's going on?" Sanji asked, fleetingly worried that something else might have gone wrong during his brief absence from the majority of the crew.

"We thought it would be a good idea to have an express breakfast real quick before our little bump in the road!" Nami announced, smiling slightly at the expression she just used, given their location and circumstances. However, the expression hadn't reached Sanji's ears. All he caught was 'good idea' and 'breakfast', and he was off to the oven.

He hastily made plates, as Robin suggested that someone occasionally look out the window to see where the Marines stood in relation to the Merry. The voluntary window checker-on-er was Chopper, but, Zoro said that he should do it, since Chopper was too short to see out the window in his current form. He'd barely said the words 'all good for now' before he sat down and everyone began to eat at the quickest pace they were capable of individually, whilst still _tasting_ their food and not _breathing_ it.

Even if they were currently all clear, there was no telling how fast worse could turn to hell.

It took only a few minutes, and two 'coast-clear's before most everyone had finished their breakfast, dropped their dishes in the sink, and quickly ran out on deck to prepare for hell and high water. "_They're within firing range, and gaining speed from the winds!_" Nami's voice rung out above the others, reaching the galley where Sanji was securing all his glasses and such into the cupboards. He couldn't help but admire her capabilities, even if the first one to admire was her volume.

"_Should we fire the first shot?_"

"_Can you _hit_ them?_"

"_Who do you think you're talking to? I, the awesome sniper, Captain Ussop-sama, will-!_"

"_CAN YOU _HIT _THEM?_"

"_Y-yes_!"

"_Go, now! Zoro, you help him move the cannons as needed_!"

"_Alright_!" "_Going._"

Sanji shook his head nostalgically. _Just another day..._

He stepped up to the high cabinet that he put recipes and his catalog in, and opened it. He reached a hand inside, feeling around the front-most part of the small area. "Huh?" The cook raised a curly eyebrow when all he felt was his box of recipes. Surely he had put up that book last night? _I was pretty damn tired, but, I'm sure that I put it up!_

Previously, the cook was set on putting the book and recipes in a well-sealed crate with his dry ingredients, but, now, he was simply puzzled. "I _did_ put it up. What the fuuuuck?" Sanji whined to himself, hastily opening the cabinets on either side of the one he was sure he'd put his book into. Nothing.

"_Sanji-kun, get your ass out here_!"

"Ah, shit!" The blonde hurried out of the galley, and towards the distressed navigator. She was gripping tightly a map in one hand, and the railing of the Merry in the other. "Nami-san!" Sanji called, causing her to turn to him. Her eyes were wide, her mouth pulled up in a grim smile. "It's not the season... why now?" She laughed. It was an empty sound if ever there was one. "This storm," She paused, holding her wrist with the log pose at eye level. "Shall be epic."

As soon as those words had left her, a strong wind blew in from the starboard coast, and dragged the Merry and it's occupants towards the Marine ships that were catching even more wind. "Fire, damn it!" The red head screamed, sitting with her back against the ship, as far as she could go without falling overboard, and hoping that the two below deck at the cannon could hear her.

Like magic to their ears, the Merry's own port cannon fired, allowing the ship some balance against the relentless wind, and connecting with the railing on the Marine ship at the lead of the advancing mini-fleet. A handful of Marines fell into the ocean as a large wave washed over that side of the ship, and above their cries of agony and for help, Ussop's voice could be heard shouting "Help me lower it!"

Sanji sat up after being knocked about by the wind and the cannon firing. He immediately went to Nami's side and helped her up, as well. Once he made sure she was safe, he looked around for Robin. The dark haired woman was steadying herself with several sets of arms, sitting above the main sail. She nodded in his direction when she knew that Sanji was watching.

Clinging to a branch on the navigator's mikan bush, the doctor yelled "Some warning would be nice!" before climbing down slowly. As his hoof touched the deck, another shot was fired, knocking him back down and into the bush.

Wood splinters flew up from the left side of the ship, and hung in the air long enough for the crew above deck to realize that the shot fired was not one of their own.

Sanji managed to keep his balance this time, snapping his head up to glare at the Marine ships. There was only one that was close enough to fire, but, that still meant that cannon fire was the only fighting they could do. _We have to keep them from hitting us again!_ Thought the cook, running his eyes over the mess of debris that used to be the railing.

At that moment, Ussop shouted "Fire!" and the Merry swayed ridiculously hard with recoil.

Sea water spilled onto the deck, washing away a shitload of hail. The Marine ship closest to the Merry, still more than a hundred yards away, was shot in the cannon chamber, causing a substantial explosion.

The wind picked up, strong enough, now, to pull the opposing ships together in minutes, and with that, the bottom fell out on the rain clouds. If the waves hadn't done so already, the rain drenched the crew. Robin had to focus harder to keep control of her ability, Chopper had to use his ability to keep from falling into the water, and it was all anyone could do to see through the down pour.

_Damn it! We need a break in the storm! Anything!_ The soaking blonde stormed down to where Ussop and Zoro were just finishing up loading the cannon. Despite having been below deck for the better part of the storm, the two handling the cannon were dripping and panting. Never a good sign.

"Oi! They're getting ready to fire! Sanji, get over here and aim this cannon more to the left!" The sniper pointed at the cannon that was beside him, and Sanji followed his directions. As soon as the cook was in position to move the cannon, Ussop went around to the back of it and struck a match. "You two hold it steady so we don't have to re-adjust it again!" Ussop said, lighting the fuse once Sanji and Zoro seemed to be holding the cannon well enough.

A wave swallowed the whole left side of the ship, temporarily blinding them of what was going on outside. That, of course, could not entirely forestall the knowledge that their enemies had fired their cannon again.

They felt the ship shake around them, creaking violently, before releasing a loud snap. _Shit, it connected!_ The swordsman thought, struggling against the force of the water and the enemies to keep still the cannon.

"Oi, is everyone alright?" The cook shouted up to the deck. For what felt like minutes, no one spoke. The whole time, though, Sanji had been watching the fuse slowly burn. It couldn't have been more than five seconds before he heard Robin say "Yes. Everyone is fine."

A sigh rolled from his lips, and in that second, he blinked. That was just long enough for him to miss the cannon fire but for the extreme backlash that Sanji could feel rippling through his body. Eyes grew wide. Shock. Too fast. _Wait, did it hit?_

He looked out their small aim space, and saw the ship on the right flank of their original target sink slowly into the stormy ocean, as wailing marines tried to get on the two rowboats that were knocked into the water and left to blow away.

"A-ah... That's exactly what I meant to do!" Ussop yelled, sticking out his chest and nodding to himself. Zoro rolled his eyes. "You two can handle this, right?" He asked, standing up and watching as the cannon moved slightly from where he and Sanji had been holding it in place.

"Yeah?" The cook raised an eyebrow. _Where the hell could he be going _now_?_

To his surprise, the swordsman seemed to pick up on his thoughts. Zoro pointed at the hatch in the floor that leads to the girls' room. "Luffy." He said. _Oh... duh. _Sanji mentally face-palmed and Ussop got to setting up another fuse.*

Shrugging at the others' silence, Zoro descended into the room in which he had not yet been. Since Luffy was it's occupant, that is. The room was dark, as it was completely underwater. The only light came from the cracks in the ceiling, and even then, the storage room above was dark. In the darkness, Zoro could barely make out a lantern hanging on a hook on the wall beside one of the beds, barely emanating a small light from a lingering ember. He went to it and turned it up so that there was a decent amount of flame-light to see by.

He took the lantern off the wall and held it at an arm's length from himself. Luffy was lying on the bed across from Zoro, so the swordsman quickly covered that distance, and came to stand at his Captain's bedside. It seemed that Luffy had been affected very little by the cannon fire and the storm. The bowl of water that used to be on the nightstand was now lying up-turned on the floor, covering a wet spot in the carpet. Besides that, only a few books had fallen from their shelf, and Luffy had been turned onto his side.

Zoro placed his hand on Luffy's forehead. Still warm, but, his breathing sounds okay, and-

A loud boom filled his ears. The ship rocked all around him, rattling sounds coming from the walls and floor, though the room only swayed a bit. _More cannon fire._ He thought, _At least it was our own._ He could hear slight celebratory noises from just above where Ussop and Sanji were operating the cannon. They had hit the right target this time. Apparently not with great accuracy, for Zoro could not here screaming, or an explosion or anything. In fact, all he could hear was the storm.

It was getting worse.

The hail had gone, but the wind picked up, the seas became more restless than he had seen in a while, and the rain fell almost like the continuous flow of an ice cold waterfall. The Marines would soon be able to board the Merry, as the winds opposed each other, bringing the ships closer to their respective enemies, and creating a small tunnel of ocean spray lingering at the spot in which the three remaining ships would meet.

When the time came that they did meet, the first mate of the Going Merry planned to be on the main deck, slaughtering Marines by the handful with a grin on his face. Cannon fire was all fine and good, but, Zoro much preferred close-combat.

Silently, Zoro promised to look after everyone while Luffy was ill, and that he would kick enough ass for the both of them. That would be a very enjoyable promise to fulfill.

"_They are almost close enough to board us_." Calls Robin in her calm voice, slightly raised to be heard over the storm.

"_Yeah..."_ Nami says, sounding to be in the storage room just above where Zoro was standing. "_The winds are going against each other... If we don't finish them off and get out of here in a hurry, we might be caught in between a Hurricane and a Whirlpool!"_

Those words should have made the crew more fearful, but, with each passing second and silent pep-talk, their confidence seemed to grow. This, in itself, is a miracle. They couldn't have needed one more than they do right now.

"_Never fear, my lovely flower~! I will protect you from even God himself~!_"

"_Sanji-kun, that's a bit much..._"

Zoro paid one final observation to his Captain, before climbing up the ladder to where Ussop was about to fire again, and Sanji was melting over Nami, who was reprimanding him. This is too normal to have worried anyone. Well, other than the uncharacteristically brave sniper. Truly, this puzzled Zoro, but, he couldn't complain. The calmer the better. Well, no, that doesn't work. If they were all mellow and shit while the Marines were blowing the heads off the entire Straw hat crew, that would just be wrong.

But, the Marines weren't going to blow their heads off. Zoro was confident in this as a fact.

The green haired swordsman walked out onto the main deck with purpose, in a strut, almost. He was so ready for this battle, it wasn't even funny. Luffy was going to be so proud that his crew handled the obstacles so well in his absence. That would be quite a sight to behold, when their Captain is fully healed.

Zoro's fingers on his right hand flexed and unflexed around the hilt of Yubashiri as he watched the rain-filled winds swirling just above the sea, pulling them closer to their battle with the two remaining Marine ships.

It will not be a huge battle, or a small one. It will be challenging, and a full-blown force of nature, and above all... entertaining for Zoro. _Whoever the hell invented adrenaline must have been having a fight in a storm like this! _Zoro noted to himself, believing that he was exactly correct.

The able crew gathered on the fore-deck, watching the growing tunnel of wind. It had grown till it was almost touching the side of the ship, and a sharp whistling sound could be heard. They could also make out the shouting of Marines. At some point, Zoro thought he heard the word 'retreat', but, the Marines made no move to do so. They were in such close proximity to their enemies, and their Captain couldn't care less what became of them in this weather. '_I'm getting that goddamn promotion_!' The shout seemed to echo off the clouds, as a tall, muscular man stomped about on the upper deck of the Marine ship, glaring at the Going Merry with a crooked smile on his lips.

The Marine Captain had short hair that might once have been brown, but, was black and dripping, creating a wild frame just above thick eyebrows and piercing grey eyes. Even from the Merry, and past the rain, the Straw hats could see the Marine Captain had many scars. One scar started at the left corner of his mouth, and stretched diagonally across his chin, over his jaw, and half-way down his neck. A terribly intimidating presence. He was perfectly shaped to be a Marine.

Ussop and Chopper were hugging each other, shaking at the sight of him, blathering about it being nice to have known their Nakama. The navigator quickly put an end to this, and a bump on Ussop's head. "Get it together! Both of you are perfectly capable of defending yourself if need be!" She shouted, pointing at them angrily with one hand, and resting the other on her hip.

"Hai, Nami-sama." The two being scolded bowed at Nami's feet.

She heaved a heavy sigh, putting her hand to her head. "Chopper, perhaps you stay closer to Luffy. I don't mean for you to go down there, but-" She continued to direct Chopper and Ussop so they'd be achieving maximum helpfulness.

Meanwhile, Robin had walked up beside Sanji, who was standing ready near the front of the boat. Subtly, she put her hand on his arm. Apparently Sanji had been lost in thought, because when he felt something on his arm, he jumped. When he noticed it was Robin, he calmed down a bit, and smiled goofily. "I'm sorry, Robin-chan, were you saying something~?" Sanji asked, taking Robin's hands in his, and wiggling around. "In any case, your beauty in this moment has helped me greatly~! Robin-chan, you are an angel!" He fawned.

The archaeologist smiled and thanked Sanji, quietly, before taking back her hand. "I am glad you've cheered up, Cook-san." Robin stated in her mysterious voice. After she said that, she left the cook to himself. He was terribly confused. That was simply Robin-chan's affect on people, he told himself. Of course, he did sort of understand. She was worried about him.

That thought sent him wriggling anew. _Ah, the lovely Robin-chwan! She is so considerate~!_

"Sir, uhm, the, er, small tornado... We can't board their ship, yet, sir." The young Marine struggled to get the words out. He knew his Captain really wanted to jump on this opportunity and capture the Straw hats. He also knew his Captain wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

The Marine Captain's fists shook in anger. How could he let Mother Nature take away his well-deserved promotion? It was just _not_ going to happen. "We're going through it!" He shouted, with no hesitation. "They'll be affected by this storm, too! We can't miss this chance!"

Another Marine, a man with a jacket suggesting he had the rank of Lieutenant, came up behind the Captain. "That's pretty risky, Captain. We haven't fully repaired the ship since our last pirate encounter." The Lieutenant stood perfectly straight, awaiting the Captain's response.

The Marine Captain hesitated only a moment longer, smiling grimly during his short pause. "We can do it. The devil is on my side today. Full speed ahead! Get ready to fight, men!"

"SIR!" A chorus of Marines saluted all at once from their various positions on the deck.

The Straw hat crew had put some order into themselves, each standing at a point key to their strengths. Zoro and Sanji were standing at the side of the ship that would most likely be the Marines point of entrance, the cook leaning at a good angle to launch a kick any second, and the swordsman with a sword in either hand ready to strike. Towards the main mast, Robin stood with her arms crossed over her chest, hands forming into a seemingly gentle gesture as she composed her powers in the midst of all the sea water. At the helm, Nami was holding her wrist with the Log Pose close to her face, and her Clima-takt in the other hand at her side, dividing her attention between the helm, and the Pose. _Skillfully standing_, _not_ hiding, in Nami's mikan bushes, Ussop had his bag on the dirt beside him, and his sling-shot loaded with his first shot, ready to take aim and fire. By the door to the storage room, Chopper stood holding his rumble ball under the brim of his hat, attempting to keep it out of the rain, swaying slightly with each sprinkling of sea water brought in by the winds.

A tactful plan. All thanks owed to Nami for setting three positions. (Hers, Ussop's and Chopper's, for those who weren't paying attention)

Without warning, a very decisive wind came from behind the Marine ships, sending them towards the Merry all the more, while the Merry, being such a small vessel, was stuck in the pull of the twister. They can't back out now. Neither party had that in mind, of course.

"Don't chicken out, Moss ball." Sanji smirks, staring straight at the temporary enemy, while speaking to his long-term enemy.

"I was about to say the same thing to you, shitty cook." Zoro speaks around the sword he placed in his mouth so he could tie his bandana on his head.

"Bet I could take out more than you." Sanji says quietly, calmly, his smirk lingering from his previous remark. A challenge.

Zoro is not shocked by the challenge. Instead, the swordsman lets out an amused snort. "In your dreams! I could take down twice as many as you could without breaking sweat." He feels as if he is stating a fact. Of course. He is _much_ stronger than some shitty ero-cook. _This is gonna be a piece of cake!_

"We'll just see about that! _Very_ soon." As he says the last two words, Sanji narrows his eyes. The Marine Pons have gathered their ropes and planks, and all that shit they need to board the Merry. _They're pretty brave, I'll give them that much..._ The cook notes to himself, sparing a glance towards the ever-growing twister that, since it touched the water, seems to have become more ocean than wind.

All in one instant, the attack was announced with a harsh cry given by the first Marines to cross to the Merry, swords raised, guns aimed. Not a single step went un-matched by Zoro and Sanji, and that is why they were at the front. Their position compliments their abilities to have each others' backs so entirely, and kick insane ass.

The swordsman began just _chopping_ down all the Marines in his immediate sights, leaving them little time and space to even think about attacking. As he cut a Marine from one shoulder to the next, whilst stabbing another in the leg, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. When he looked up it was no longer there, as is usually the case for strange things seen in ones peripherals. But, somehow, he knew that what he saw was bad.

The cook dropped to his hands expertly, and spun furiously on his palms, kicking out at the five Marines that believed they might make it to the opposing ship. They fell, each giving a shout of pain and surprise, and making an effort to fire their weapons. That was strange, because three of them were wielding swords. Still, their efforts did not even faze the two of the Straw hat crew on the frontlines.

Their Nakama watched in awe, though certain they should help out, and, certainly they would, after a moment of gawking. The rain, the wind, the great sea, and pretty much any obstacle that could have come up, did, and yet, they remained with such strength.

That moment of 'whoa, they're awesome' did not last long, as the second Marine ship came to a halt just behind the first, and it's passengers crossed the two decks. Right into the heat of the fight, if it could be called that. The temperature was dropping quickly, and the Marines were coming down hard. Nothing they couldn't handle, Sanji was certain, but, as the Marines just kept piling out of the two ships, his confidence wavered, if only just a bit.

"Holy shit! They must have been _packed_ in there!" Sanji shouts, lashing out with his right leg, and knocking four Marines into the ocean sideways. He heard more Marines approaching behind him, and turned in time to see Zoro chop one down, and Ussop shoot the other with a Tabasco star. The last one, Sanji kicked square in the chin, effectively returning him to the ship from which he originated. The second one.

"You gettin' scared now, stupid ero-cook?" Zoro sneered, hitting a Marine on the back of the head with the butt of Yubashiri, at the same time locking swords with three other Marines, using Sandai Kitetsu. Sanji only snorted in response, whirling to his right, catching a Marine in the side.

Robin stood concentrating by the mast, still as could be, and two strings of her arms sprouted from the deck, each grabbing one Marine and knocking his head with the other. "This is a peculiar number of soldiers for just two ships." She states, a vague hint of curiosity in her voice.

Sanji whirled around to see the two Marines Robin just knocked out. "Maybe they had a wreck?" The blonde suggests. Ussop makes a strange sound, before retorting "Yeah, I, the awesome sniper Ussop, took down their most resourceful vessel!" The sniper bragged, momentarily standing from his hiding spot. In that moment, he was shot at by a couple of Marines, and quickly decided he should be 'The Hidden Sniper of Ultimate Doom'.

Taking no notice of the act, Sanji rolled his eyes, sending several swift kicks to the middle of the Marine closest to him. "I mean, maybe they had four or five ships before?" The cook speculated aloud.

Previously silent and invisible, Chopper spoke up. "That might be true. There are only so many islands with good repair businesses, and even fewer Marine bases!" He stepped out from behind the steps, still at the door to the storage room. There was no time for him to react before a Marine slashed at the little doctor. Chopper stood, frozen, staring at the sword. "M-my hat!" He shrieks.

Suddenly, the Marine falls to the deck, pulling his sword out of Chopper's hat in the process. "Watch yourself, Chopper!" Nami winks at the doctor, still holding her Clima-takt up. Chopper thanks her, holding the edges of his hat down by his ears.

The action did not halt for a moment, even as an enormous gust pulled huge waves onto the deck, nearly washing away all it's occupants. The momentarily forgotten twister behind them picked up with a roar, and carried up a dozen Marines from the sea, swallowing them in it's mass.

The Marines hardly had time to shout before another handful was carried off. To all those watching, it seemed nature had switched sides when the small hurricane started pulling parts off the Marine ships. A chunk of the side railing flew up, and swooped down towards Sanji. He ducked, narrowly avoiding a concussion, and instead passing off the honor to an unlucky Marine who had been about to shoot him.

Nami surveyed this storm with wide eyes. "Wrap it up! We need to get out of here!" She screamed, quickly batting some Marines away from herself with her Clima-takt, and then running to the helm.

"Got it, Nami-san!" Sanji called back to her, as he jumped up, and delivered flying kicks to all the surrounding Marines. In a hyper-drive kind of mood, Robin summoned enough arms to hold back all the Marines, leaving them easy targets for the other four to attack and be done with.

-_Bang!_- "Ah!"

Time stopped, breaths hitched, and minds tried to connect the sound to an image. Frantically, the Straw hat crew looked around for that familiar voice, that pained sound.

The Captain of the Marine ships stood on the deck of the nearest Marine ship, one arm outstretched, holding out his smoking gun. Slowly, it seemed, the eyes and attention of the pirates followed the invisible line of aim. Robin.

The archaeologist was crouched on one knee, holding her left side with both hands as red liquid dripped from her. Sanji became livid that second. Though he was concerned for his Nakama, his beautiful Robin-chan, he was more concerned about kicking that guy's ass that dared to shoot her.

"Cover me!" Sanji glanced briefly at Zoro as he spoke, before crouching as low as he could without sitting, and leaping over the Marine soldiers to get to the man with the gun. The cook touched down just in front of the man, giving him no time before kicking him hard in the side of the head. "How dare you shoot Robin-chan!" Sanji yelled, watching the man he'd kicked with so much power just fall to the deck. Not nearly as far away as he should have been.

As the Marine Captain pushed himself up on his elbows, Sanji jumped up and took aim for a crushing heel drop. The Marine Captain rolled away quickly, and extracted his gun from it's temporary position on the deck, allowing Sanji only to break a massive hole in the deck before aiming at him and firing.

It is rather difficult to hit a moving target, though. Sanji ducked just below the bullet, narrowly escaping a bad haircut. That caused the Marine Captain to shout angrily, an almost indistinguishable curse. "IWANTTHATGODDAMNPROMOTION!"

Sanji swept the Marine Captain's legs, knocking back on his butt, and then kicked him in the side, sending him rolling all the way off the broken edge of the Marine ship. Truly, he didn't want to kill this Marine, so, what he'd done already was enough. _Then again, that bastard shot Robin-chan_..._ But, I'm not going to chase him into the depths of the ocean. He might well drown in the restless waters._

Few Marines still dawdled between their own ship and the Merry, stuck between a rock of a swordsman, and a hard place of a cook. Quite a shame for them, that on a day of unusual weather, rather dangerous, it would seem that the weather would be their easy break.

And they took it.

The Marines jumped ship, and other ship, and plank, and were sucked into the whirlpool below the tornado, screaming gurgling cries for help. Even if they wanted to help, the Straw hat pirates couldn't do anything but watch. Maybe, if luck was on their side, a handful of Marines would escape this.

"Well, Sanji, get over here! We haven't got time to waste, so move your ass!" Nami shouted, glancing at her Log pose. Sanji found himself slightly out of breath after the whole ordeal, but, being a pansy-ass could wait. "Coming!" Sanji waved flamboyantly, before taking a powerful leap from the enemy ship back to the Merry. In the process of doing so, he shoved the Marine ship away from the Merry, and the ocean carried it off rapidly.

So perfectly timed, the winds picked up and pushed the Merry away from the funnel where the sky met the sea, and towards the raging seas of a slightly calmer area. The rain fell hard and heavy, stinging the exposed skin of the pirates. Lightning struck out in the distance, perhaps on an island, and thunder clapped beyond the clouds.

"We can ride this wind out of the storm, I think!" Nami announced, exagerated tears of joy in her eyes. Ussop popped out of his strategic standing spot, and shouted "You _think_? What if it doesn't?"

"Just let the sails down!" The navigator commanded.

A small crack in the side of the ship allowed a slow leak to enter into the dark room. It's only occupant slept beneath yet another crack in the deck, and a rain drop dripped it's way down through the crevice, taking a seemingly long trip through the air, falling with precision onto the sleeping person's nose.

The Captain sneezed quietly, and then opened his eyes. He lifted his right hand in front of his face. Luffy felt so frail, he might as well have been paralyzed. He flexed his fingers in front of his face, eyes widening slightly.

"What the _hell_ just happened?"

_**Well, wasn't that something? Ahaha, I quite enjoyed doing that chapter. I didn't much progress in the spots I wanted to, but, I still like it. That was my first time doing an action-y scene! I don't think I did badly, but, I can't say I did well.**_

_**What do you think? Review please!**_


	3. A turn for the better?

"What the _hell_ just happened?" The shout erupted from the wall and across the deck to the ears of each and every Straw hat over the sounds of the raging storm. Everyone paused in what they were doing. That was not entirely a voluntary action. In fact, it was quite involuntary that each of them froze up just as they heard the voice they'd missed for nearly a day.

"Did you guys...?" Ussop looked around at his crewmates' faces, not bothering to finish his sentence. Slowly, looking between each other, everyone nodded. Chopper ran off to the room where his patient resided, leaving everyone staring in his path.

"We can't _all_ be hallucinating?" Sanji questions, slouching and watching the door to the storage room as if it would jump up and run away. The weather seemed to stand still for one moment, and one moment only, allowing time for them all to gawk. But, after that, they _had_ to get back to reality. God only gives a certain amount of time for people to be fortunate.

"_He's awake!_" Chopper's voice was squeakier than usual in his announcement. "_Someone, just _one_ person, get down here please!_"

Somehow, their minds all clicked together and it was certain to them who was going to go. Someone who was calm, and would effectively relay every detail of the day's events to Luffy. Okay, so, that's not exactly why, but, nonetheless, Zoro went down into the storage room and to the girls' room from there.

When he could see into the room, the first things he noticed were Luffy sitting up in the middle of the bed in his pajamas with a blanket draped over his lap, and Chopper sticking a thermometer under Luffy's tongue. "Luffy!" Zoro called for his Captain's attention as he descended quickly into the room.

Luffy looked up at his first mate, and grinned widely. "Z-wo!" He shouted around the thermometer. Chopper scolded Luffy briefly, telling him that he couldn't get the right temperature if he was talking. That made the Captain pout, perhaps exaggeratingly so. Even though he was pouting about it, he nodded.

"You okay?" Zoro asked, taking a seat on the chair beside Luffy's bed, opposite Chopper. _Maybe he knows what happened to make him sick?_ Zoro thought. Chopper removed the thermometer from Luffy's mouth, and studied it for a moment. "Still unusually high. You can talk now Luffy."

"Finally!" The Captain threw his arms up in the air, celebrating. "I feel kinda bad, Zoro!" He says, turning to the Swordsman and putting a hand on his own gut. "Do you know what happened?"

Zoro sat back in his chair. _So much for that..._ "Not really. You just suddenly got sick."

The doctor interjected, before Luffy could say anything. "Luffy, in what way do you feel kinda bad?" Chopper was rummaging through his doctor bag when he asked that.

Luffy put one of his pointer fingers to his temple. "Well... Like I'm sick!" He announces, as if it were truly an intellectual statement. Not a second later, his eyelids droop down halfway, and he looks around. "Ne, Chopper, it's really warm in here." Luffy says, seemingly in a daze.

"Here. Drink this." Chopper pulls a small vial of blue liquid from his bag and hands it to Luffy. The Captain happily accepts; he hadn't had anything to drink in nearly a day. After he drinks the liquid, Luffy blinks rapidly, and returns to normal. For the moment.

"Hey, Zoro, how long have I been asleep for?" Luffy asks, fidgeting as Chopper pulls out a syringe.

Zoro also eyes the syringe, but, speaks calmly to Luffy. "About a day. You didn't miss much. Everyone was worried about you, though."

"Eh? A whole _day_? What did I miss?" The Captain's eyes bugged out of his head at Zoro. He hardly noticed Chopper still trying to examine him.

"Luffy, you have to tell me anything you might have done that made you sick, and how you feel, okay?" The little doctor tried to get his attention, but, Luffy was lost in the story Zoro was telling him about the day's events.

Chopper only sighed, listening to Zoro's description of the fight that took place not even ten minutes ago, and watching Luffy's expression of awe. He was very proud that his crew handled such difficulties so well, but, he pouted for the same reason. He reaaaally wanted to kick some ass, and said so. The swordsman shrugged after hearing Luffy's statement. "There'll be more enemies."

Taking the ever-so-brief silence as an opportunity after having sat quietly for nearly half an hour, Chopper growls as best he can in his squeaky voice; "Luffy. Tell me what the hell feels wrong or you can't friggin' get better! Understand?"

Luffy and Zoro looked at Chopper, then at each other. That shared moment of 'huh?' erupted into laughter. Luffy held his gut and threw his head back, cackling with such a carefree face, one could be convinced he was no longer ill. That would be a great deception.

Suddenly, Luffy stopped laughing, his mouth still open wide, but no longer smiling, his head still thrown back, and his arms around his middle. Zoro quickly stopped laughing as well, and looked at his Captain. Luffy had turned a fine shade of... _purple? Is he suffocating or something? No, wait, that's blue. What the hell?_

"Chopper!" Luffy yelped. His first mate and doctor were both standing, ready to help him, but not sure how. "Wh-what's the matter Luffy? Are you okay?" The doctor studied Luffy closely with his eyes and couldn't see anything wrong with him besides his color. Of course, the doctor knew the illness was internal, but, the Captain didn't have any tell-tale symptoms of any specific illnesses that Chopper could pin down. If he couldn't figure out what was ailing the Captain, he couldn't cure it. If he couldn't cure it, then, a month was a conservative estimate.

Jumping out of bed and running to the ladder with lightning speed, Luffy shouted in his wake, "I'm gonna be sick!"

Not a moment passed before they heard the bathroom door open and shut forcefully. Zoro was very concerned by this point. All he could do was stare at Chopper, hoping his gaze, probably more of a glare, as that was how he hid his feelings, would spark a diagnosis from the reindeer. He had no such luck.

Chopper shook his head nervously, gathering the few items of his that were lying around into his bag. "Chopper?" Zoro questioned the doctor's actions. _Wasn't he supposed to be here trying to figure out what all was making Luffy sick?_

The doctor didn't take long to notice and answer Zoro's questioning look. "I have to do some reading. The symptoms he has shown thus far are strange... I'll have a hard time tying them all to four illnesses, maybe he has more, I don't know. But, I am not leaving this room," He paused, glancing at the ladder as hoarse and hideous noises were heard from the room above and slightly behind them. "I need to get some things including a good many books. Wait here until I get back, please."

With that, the doctor left the room, carrying his bag at an arm's length from him because it was over-full. Zoro hardly paid him a glance as he left; He was too busy focusing on the sounds from the other room to care about what the doctor was doing. The distinct sounds of tossing cookies* had ceased, leaving Zoro swallowed in a moment of silence. He could only faintly hear the elements and the crew on his other side, but, he was entirely worried about his Captain in this moment. He was sure his Nakama felt the same way.

The toilet flushed noisily, and something, pipes, Zoro assumed, rattled in the walls. The swordsman stood at the base of the ladder completely prepared to... what? What _could_ he do?

Moments later, Luffy opened the hatch above the ladder and stepped down without caution. He fell through the opening, hitting Zoro in the chest and taking his first mate down with him. They landed with a thump on the damp carpet, and Zoro uttered a curse. _Even when he's sick, he's still trying to injure himself!_

"Ugh..." Luffy lifted himself off of Zoro and nearly dove into the designated patient bed. "I'm beat." The Captain whined into the blankets. Zoro watched him, somewhat concerned, but mostly just trying to stop himself from kicking his Captain's ass. _He is sick, after all, so he should be more careful, the bastard! Wait, am I protecting him or roasting him?_

"Zoro?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you alive?"

"What do you think?"

"Oh. So, you're dead?"

"Idiot!"

Luffy rolled over onto his back, and then sat up. He stared at a random spot on the ceiling, (Or the floor, depending on which room you're in), and hummed thoughtfully. After a minute, he seemed to come back to reality, and shook his head. "I think not..." He said to himself.

"What?" Okay, now Zoro was confused. Luffy had just zoned out _thinking_, of all things, and then spoke to himself. _Hasn't something like this happened recently...?_ Zoro thought to himself, awaiting the Captain's response.

"Where's Hat?" Luffy asked, looking around.

"Uh, on the nightstand. What were you," Zoro paused, biting back a laugh. "Thinking about, just now?"

Luffy turned to the nightstand, and, upon seeing his hat, grinned. He picked it up and put it on his head, patting the top to make sure his hat knew it was loved. Luffy's smile morphed into a small frown, and he narrowed his eyes at Zoro. "What?"

"Didn't you hear me?"

Luffy shook his head, causing Zoro to mentally face-palm. Whatever the hell he had was making him more A.D.D. than usual. That's not something that Zoro could easily tolerate.

The swordsman took a breath before continuing his quest for information that he wasn't even sure he wanted. "Just a minute ago, you zoned out, and then you said 'I think not'. What's that about?"

Luffy opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then paused, staring wide-eyed at the wall at the head of 'patient bed'. "I meant, 'I don't wanna'."

Chopper rushed down the stairs carrying his bag, slightly less full-looking, and a stack of medical books. When he noticed Luffy sitting on the bed, he ran over to him. "Are you feeling any better? Any worse?" The doctor interrogated. Luffy leaned away from him a bit, eyes still wide, but, mostly in a curious way. "Naw, I feel the same. 'Cept, a little emptier." Luffy laughed a bit, and suddenly regained his composure. "Chopper."

"Y-yes?" The reindeer glanced at Zoro as if he was asking why Luffy just changed so quickly. The swordsman could only shrug in response. Luffy reached out and pet Chopper's antlers with a spacey look on his face. "Tell them not to fight without me again." He said, seriously.

"Tell who not to fight?" Chopper asked, shooing Luffy's hands away from his antlers gently. The Captain whined pitifully before switching to Chopper's nose, which he repeatedly beeped. "The crew. All of you, _no fighting_. I don't want anybody to fight if I can't watch or help. _Beeeep_!"

"Cut that out, damn it!" Chopper blushed, taking an aggressive stance as Luffy decided that Chopper's nose did not go 'beep'; it went 'honk'. The Captain giggled each time he honked Chopper's nose, successfully agitating his care-taker. "Zoro. That means you."

"What?" The swordsman had been absorbed in watching the game of 'honk-and-shout', (That's what he was calling it), so much so that he did not catch what Luffy had told him. _What means me? 'Cut that out, damn it'? What was I doing?_

Without warning, Luffy fell over sideways onto his bed and proceeded to snore and drool excessively. Chopper's eye twitched at the suddenness of Luffy's every action, which is not something that occurred often for him. He was supposed to be the doctor, but... what the _hell_ was he supposed to do with sudden fever, purple, barfing, and passing out randomly?

The reindeer shook his head, and sighed. He covered Luffy with the blanket as best he could, and glanced at Zoro. "He said not to fight. I think he meant you and Sanji." Chopper started to go through his stack of books, then, realizing Zoro was still sitting in the floor staring. "Maybe you should go tell the others about Luffy. When I went up there, I didn't have time to tell them much, so they're probably dying from worry." The doctor suggested, gently. If Zoro did not want to leave his Captain, Chopper could not make him.

But, Zoro agreed. He knew how they felt, after all. And, besides, Luffy was completely sacked at this moment, so there wasn't much else Zoro could do but report to the others. So, that's what he did. "Shout if anything happens, doc." Zoro called over his shoulder on his way out.

"Oh! Zoro! Tell Sanji to make something for Luffy! He'll be hungry when he wakes up."

Zoro nodded, knowing Chopper couldn't see but not really caring. Luffy would be hungry, so, order the cook to make something, he shall. The swordsman rubbed the back of his head with one hand. Small though he may be, Luffy makes quite an impact, especially when paired with the floor, sandwiching his first mate.

The swordsman's boots made a combination sound of thudding and splashing as he walked out onto the deck. He glanced around. Nobody really seemed anxious to him, though they did watch Zoro intently. Perhaps they aren't terribly worried? _They would ask if they were, anyway_.

The rain seemed to have let up a bit and, far off in the distance, a long strip of sunshine and blue skies lined the horizon. They were almost out of this. However, there was still a fair distance of ever-raging waters to cover. They would be at this until sunset, by Zoro's estimation. Not even he could trust his own estimation.

The navigator was standing in the doorway by the helm, studying the clouds and mouthing something to herself. Zoro walked over near her, not wanting to get too close, and asked, "Oi, Nami! How much longer 'til we're out of this?"

Nami turned to him, slightly agitated at the rudeness of her mossy Nakama. "I don't know. The wind seems persistent in throwing us off course. We could still be trying to escape this crazy weather in a week if it picks back up!" She threw her arms up in the air, careful to keep the map she was holding, that Zoro just noticed, out of the rain. "We just have to try and keep southwest! You! Help!" The redhead pointed Zoro in the direction of the crow's nest. Yay. Zoro loves that place.

The swordsman sighed, a vein making itself visible in his forehead. _I was doing something just now... Why did I even stop to talk to this witch? I forgot what I was-_

"Nami-swan~! I finished plugging the leak for youuu~! You can go back in there now, it's dry!" A flailing blonde wriggled his way over to Nami, hands folded together and tucked under his chin. _Oh, yeah. Great. At least it didn't take me that long to remember._ Zoro shrugged mentally, quickly jumping back to his original mission. "Shit-cook, (Sanji immediately turned to glare at him), Chopper said to make some food or something for Luffy when he wakes up again."

"Food _or something_?" Sanji asked, with an unimpressed expression. _Even if he's Moss, he should have the common sense to just say 'food' rather than add on something vague like that. Luffy is hungry? Oh, I made him a sweater. Well, damn._

"Wait, Luffy went back to sleep?" Nami turned her whole body to face Zoro, crossing her arms over her chest. Zoro leaned away from her slightly. She looked angry from her head to her toes, as if it was Zoro's fault that Luffy was even sick to begin with. "So, you spent what? Almost _an hour _down there with him, just chattin' up a storm, then he was like 'hey, I'm gonna sleep', and you were like 'okay, cool, nobody else wants to see you anyway!'?" The redhead fumed.

Zoro stared at her like she was suddenly a monkey."What the hell are you so mad about? It's not like we were just talking shit, _("Hey, don't talk to Nami-san like that!")_, it was important!" The swordsman tried to defend himself on subject of what he thought she was mad about. It did not work.

"That's not the point, you idiot! Somebody reliable should've gone down there to check on him while he was conscious! You came up here more worried about the weather than about Luffy!"

"Aren't _you_ worried about the weather?" Zoro yelled accusingly.

"_Of course I am worried about the weather! We all are_! But, more than that, we're worried about _LUFFY_!"

Zoro opened his mouth to reply, but, couldn't think of anything to say before a black blur met the top of his head. Hard. "SHIT!" Zoro was bent at the middle holding the top of his head. He could swear that, for a moment, he was seeing stars. It didn't take him long to look up, though, glaring at the origin of that goddamned kick.

"Don't shout at Nami-san." Sanji said, coolly, standing beside Nami. The navigator looked smug and slightly less agitated, watching Zoro clutch his head in pain. The swordsman grumbled something unintelligible, reaching for his swords. _The stupid ero-cook is askin' for it!_

'_He said not to fight. I think he meant you and Sanji._'

"Damn." Zoro cursed quietly, still holding onto his swords, but not drawing them. He can't fight. That's awfully shitty for him, but, Luffy had, according to Chopper, said not to fight. That request might kill him... but, he had thought that his Captain enjoyed watching them fight? He was always so amused. Maybe he just wanted them to bottle it up 'til he _could_ watch? Yeah, that was it.

"What's the matter, Moss head? Turning chicken, are you?"

"Hell no! Luffy said not to fight, so that's what I'm doing, or, uh, not doing... Got a problem?" He baffled the cook and the navigator with his response, as well as anyone else who might have been listening, but, he was focused more on what was in front of him, and not even on _that _much for now. He was focused on a small crevice in the railing, just a tiny imperfection, merely a chip in the wood, but, he couldn't stop staring at it. For heaven's sake, he just basically _surrendered_ against the shit-cook!

His pride was _so_ not letting this one slip. _When Luffy gets better, he's gonna pay..._

"Wait, so, Luffy was actually talking?" Ussop came up out of nowhere, almost making Zoro jump. He was rather concerned for their Captain as well, but, why did all these people have to sneak up on him so goddamn many times? Wait, was that the first? Oh, dear.

"Yeah... He was conscious, of course he's talking!" Zoro snorted.

"Why did he say not to fight?" Nami asked.

"Did he say anything besides that?" Ussop asked.

The two of them seemed to find countless questions to ask Zoro about Luffy, and that was freakin' annoying him. Since they'd somehow magnetically come to the point where they were standing next to each other in front of Zoro, he was quite certain he could just reach out and knock their heads together. And, oh, how pleasant that would be.

_I've had 'bout enough of all this shit...!_

"Look! I'll tell you every goddamn word 'e said later on, but, for now can we PLEASE get of this fuckin' _storm_?" Zoro shouted, gesturing towards the clouds with one arm, and keeping close to Wadou with the other to emphasize the piercing glare he sent towards the two staring wide-eyed in front of him.

"Soup, then?" Sanji asked, looking rather bored, though the scene in front of him, he was sure, Zoro hadn't even expected, and the winds were now making weird slicing sounds as they passed through his hair. The cook could only hope it wasn't actually cutting his hair.

The swordsman nodded, irritated, and stalked off to do something up in the Yards. Sanji didn't know what, but, he also didn't care. He had more important things to worry about. For example: Where in the _hell_ his book had gone. And, well, making some soup for the hard-working crew, and the hard-puking Captain. Oh, that had not been a pleasant sound a few minutes ago.

But, he needed his book. That thing was practically his brain. It had everything related to his cooking for the crew in there, and even more, since he seemed to stray off subject when he wrote in it. It would be his end if anyone read through it, though, he wasn't sure why it bothered him so much. Perhaps he just didn't want people to know how much he thought about everything. He did not know, and, that, he found _very_ strange.

With a slight shrug, the cook retreated to the haven that was his kitchen. For now, it seemed, they did not need his help on deck. Mostly due to the beautiful, the magnificent, the over-worked Robin-chwan, doing her best to keep everything in order with all her dozen or so arms. _Good thing that seaweed is helping her now. Maybe when she gets a break, she'll come and talk to me again~!_

As Sanji went to place a bowl of more bowls and utensils on the counter, he paused. _The last time she spoke to me she seemed to know what I was thinking about...? Did she take my book? No, Robin-chwan wouldn't do that. Besides, that was before it went missing, right? Shit, I don't even know _when_ it went._

"Holy crap! There's another break in the cloud cover!"

Ah, his lovely Nami-san was sexy, even when she was shouting vulgarities about the weather changing. Especially since it was good news. If they got out of this storm within the next hour, he would throw rationing to hell and they would celebrate. Well, perhaps.

"_You ain't helpin', Long nose!_" Zoro's voice shouted over a sudden whooshing noise. _That must be the wind picking up,_ Sanji concluded.

A heavy thud sounded outside, far enough away that it could be around the middle of the deck. Sanji did not know. He already had the intention of going out there to check when he heard "_Forgive me, Swordsman-san. Are you alright?"_ The voice of his lovely Robin-chan, concerned, and weak. _What the hell_?

Sanji peered out the window, and spotted Robin sitting on top of Zoro, who was lying flat on his stomach between the main mast and the right side of the ship. He stepped out on deck, and asked "What happened?" Majorly confused, and slightly irritated. _What's that bastard doing to poor Robin-chan?_

Robin looked up and smiled faintly, most certainly a fake smile. "Ah, Cook-san. It appears that the weather has taken it's toll on me." She seemed to pause as Ussop walked over to help her up. When she didn't immediately get up, Sanji ran over to her. The three didn't seem to notice Zoro, whose face was planted firmly into the wood, twitching underneath Robin.

"Are you alright?" Sanji asked worriedly, holding out his hand for her to take. Robin smiled, placing one of her hands in Sanji's and the other in Ussop's. The two helped her up with little difficulty and were instructed by Nami to take her below deck to rest. The archaeologist didn't refuse the idea, so, as gently and carefully as possible, she was escorted below deck by Sanji and Ussop.

Almost the minute they were out of sight, Zoro pushed himself up on his hands and knees. _She could've said 'duck!', or maybe, 'look out Zoro!', I woulda tolerated 'catch me!'! But, noooo, I get no warning; I just get a fuckin' face-plant!_ Zoro fumed to himself, rubbing his face with his right hand. Was it normal to get injured so much in one day? The marines had winged him a couple of times with their bullets, Luffy had fallen on him, and now Robin had plummeted from who knows how far up, and landed right in the middle of his back. Why? _Because that's just my fuckin' luck._

The swordsman stood up slowly, being very aware of the aches that were already making themselves known in his body. Honestly, he'd have been just fine after fighting the Marines. He's used to that by now. He _should_ be used to having Nakama fall on him randomly. To his surprise, Zoro had not built up immunity to that yet.

This was something he must work on.

Zoro grumbled to himself curses with such annoyance that if one were to hear him, they would apologize for their very souls. That, of course, was because he now had to pick up Robin's job. "Hurry up! The quicker you do that, the sooner we can get out of the storm!" The ever-annoying Nami called out to Zoro, from her spot in the doorway to the galley, wrapped in a coat, a rain jacket, and sipping a mug of something that was steaming. _Witch._

The temperature seemed to drop as Zoro got higher up the mast. That didn't surprise him, but, that doesn't mean he liked it. In fact, he was pretty sure he'd have a huge cold by the end of the day. He wasn't sure how he'd know when it was close to the end of the day... _It must be just past mid-day, though... So, in a few hours_. Roughly. He'd know when he got sick. So, yeah.

A bunch of ropes fluttered around in the wind, just out of Zoro's reach, temporarily. _Robin must have been doing something over here..._ Zoro thought, eyeing the web of string that seemed to lead everywhere and nowhere. _Why do ships have so many damn ropes?_

Frustrated, Zoro quickly tied the ropes off to... whatever. He didn't care. Nami didn't tell him what was being done with them, he had no idea what it might be, and he really didn't want to be up so high for very long. Besides, it's not like the ropes were really doing much. "Zoro!" The redhead shouted his name with record-breaking speed. "Keep an eye out for any _more_ obstacles, understand?"

That did not sound like a question to Zoro. He growled, irritated, (Oh! He's always irritated with Nami), and barked over his shoulder; "I don't have to do everything you say, stupid-!"

"LISTEN TO MEEEE! I'm holding off the conversation about Luffy to get us out of this weather, at _your_ request, so shut up and do as I say, or I'm fining you two-hundred thousand beli!"

_Damn._

Grumbling furiously, the swordsman set to 'his' duties, trying to figure out which rope went where, whilst eye-balling the surrounding seas. The wind blew past him, hard, trying to push him off the beam while he was standing up. "Shit." Zoro cursed aloud, throwing one of his legs over the side of the crow's nest. He was not happy about returning to his wonderful post, but, he would be a lot less happy if he fell onto the deck from this height, or worse; into the sea. That would suck.

As he pulled on a particular rope to suit his angle, Zoro adjusted his footing. When he shifted his foot back, he felt something, not very big by the feel of it, squish under his step. He looked down, just barely caring enough for a glance.

Lying in a heap under the heel of his right foot was a dark brown blanket, one that he had used last night, because it gets damn cold at night. It was absolutely soaked, a trait that he was surprised that he _hadn't_ expected of a blanket sitting out in the pouring rain. Peeking out from under the edge of the blanket was the corner of what looked like a book. _Oh shit._

Zoro bent down to pick it up hastily, comprehending what it was before he even touched it. _Sanji's freakin' diary._ The swordsman picked up the heavy, wet diary, and held it up in front of himself. He just stared at it for a moment. What does one do with the diary of one's Nakama that one was not supposed to touch, let alone read in the first place that one had accidentally left out in a rain storm? Zoro hadn't a clue, but, putting it back where it came from was a good start.


	4. Long, long month!

_**A present for my lovely readers! I finished this pretty early, no? Well, actually, no, I didn't, but still! Here it is!**_

_**Again, sorry about that thing with Robin! I did explain a little bit in this chapter. I had imagined that the seawater contributed to her falling to the deck, but, uh... Y'all can't read my mind, soo...**_

_**As usual, enjoy!**_

The cook danced around his kitchen, slightly rushed, but, graceful nonetheless. As soon as he had left Robin-chan to rest, he had decided that some soup would do her good. Was cooking the most productive thing he could do right now? Maybe, maybe not, considering his Nakama, specifically Zoro and Ussop, were already handling the adjustments in the Rigging.

He placed his favorite cooking pot, big, deep, stainless steel cooking pot, on the stove. It was full of a special broth he'd just made, and was soon to contain various vegetables and some meat, just to be a bit more filling. He'd have been proud of his born-from-scratch soup, if he weren't in such a rush.

"_Just a minute, witch! It ain't goin' anywhere!_"

"_You better hurry, or else I'm collecting on that two-hundred thousand beli you owe me!_"

"_What two-hundred thousand beli?_"

The door to the galley burst open, and a soaked swordsman stomped in, and made extra sure to close the door so he could at least muffle what Nami was saying. He groaned loudly, rubbing his temple with his left hand. In his right hand, the cook noticed, was a book. On closer inspection, _his_ book.

_What the hell? The _MOSS_ took it!... He can read? I didn't know plants could do that. Or, maybe he can't read, and just took it to piss me off! But, if he did read it, there's the matter of _that_... I'd have to see how hard I could kick his thick head, if he did read it. Maybe he started from the beginning? He had all night, and early this morning, so, it would be no big feat to read all the way through. Perhaps he just skimmed it?... Or maybe he can't fuckin' read! Shit, I'm just standing here staring like an idiot._

"D'you take my book?" Sanji asked, sounding rather retarded, with a mix of confusion, curiosity and pissedoff-ness. He mentally slapped himself for the blush he felt on his cheeks. _God... if he read my book, I am really... probably... gonna die._

Zoro nearly smacked him, he was so random. _I brought it back, out of the rain, so it shouldn't fuckin' matter, _He thought, holding the sopping wet book out from himself, and watching a nearly constant drip, originating from the book, create a puddle on the floor.

"Did you read my book?" Sanji asked, impatient and taking the silence badly. There was no telling what went on in that empty green head when it was silent on the outside.

The swordsman shrugged, extending his arm further. "I did. Kind of. Some of it."

Sanji was dumbfounded.

_He just... admitted it? Isn't he scared of me? He's s'possed to be some sort of defensive bastard seaweed! Why'd he fuckin' CONFESS?_

Rather than voicing his thoughts, Sanji mumbled, "When the hell'd you even take the damn thing?" and snatched it away from Zoro. He flipped through the first few pages quickly, skimming a few words here and there, mostly just trying to see if the ink had bled badly. It hadn't.

Beside his concern for injured ink, Sanji was absolutely relieved that the Moss hadn't read that far into his book. He didn't know how far 'kind of' and 'some of it' meant, but, he figured that if Zoro had read the parts that Sanji did not want him to read, he would have pitched the book into the sea during the night. _Wait, maybe that's why it's wet! Oh, wait, no. It would have been long gone if he'd thrown it into the sea._

"You ain't mad?"

Sanji looked up from his book, an eyebrow arched. "No one said that, idiot."

Though his tone was calm, it still pissed Zoro off. "I'm not an idiot! I was just askin', shit-cook!" Zoro defended quickly. His instinctive reaction would have been to grab his swords and challenge the cook, obviously offended by being called an idiot, but, he remembered what Luffy had said. At least, according to Chopper.

_This'll be harder than I thought!_

Sanji rolled his eye at the swordsman, confused, but not going to ask. It's not like he cared how different Zoro acted whilst under Luffy's order not to fight. Sanji could kick his ass easier this way, but, he wasn't that kind of guy, therefore, Zoro's behavior did not affect, nor interest him. Maybe.

"Hmm. Yes." The cook said, thoughtfully, strutting over to the stove and placing his book off to the side of the burner, far enough away that it wouldn't burn the pages, but, close enough for the heat to assist in drying it.

"Huuh...?" Zoro relaxed a bit. He had no idea what the cook was talking about, (It had already been more than ten seconds since Zoro last spoke!), and he was sort of curious. It's not like he was in any hurry to get back out on deck with the Witch Queen, and the wet and the cold, and the ropes. THE ROPES.

The cook scraped several chopped-up stalks of celery into the pot on the stove, then stirred the soup with a large spoon that might well have been an oar. He glanced back at Zoro, who was staring right back at him with an expression that said nothing short of 'I ain't got a friggin' clue'. Ya know, the one he always makes. Sanji shook his head, silently pitying the slowness of moss, and said "Yes, I am mad at you." He paused to look at Zoro again, then continued; "Now, to avoid an ass-kicking to end all ass-kickings, I suggest you answer my questions with complete honesty. Follow?"

Zoro arched a brow. "You can't kick my ass! You'd be impaled before you could raise your foot in th-" He stopped mid-sentence. _Frick on a stick with a goddamn brick... Captain, my Captain... I'll kill you, damn it._ "Never mind." The swordsman mumbled, pouting in the manliest way possible, and looking away from Sanji. Oh, how he wanted to slice the eyebrow off that shitty face.

Sanji nodded, finding something of a victory in that, though he was wondering what would stop Zoro from being violent. Still, he went on with his interrogation, "When did you take my book?"

"...After you went to bed..." Zoro grumbled, shifting slightly. He was getting rather tired of standing, but sitting down, (Ugh!); it would show only further weakness and leave his ass open for the kicking. _God, why do I listen to Luffy? Because I'm a fuckin' pansy..._

"And, at what point did you start reading?"

"Uhh, after you left...?"

"What was the first thing you read, I mean?"

"I knew that! Err... somethin' about the price of meat being outrageous? I dunno."

"Eck, that wasn't quite the beginning, but, close enough. What was the first... _different_ thing you read?" Sanji asked, hesitantly. He knew that towards the beginning of his book there were a few 'weird patches'. Odd thoughts about his crewmates when he first met them... certainly not material that should ever have reached another human eye.

"Different? Like, the diary parts?" Zoro arched a brow, shifting his weight again, and smirking slightly. The cook was nervous. Zoro liked that. It meant he had lovely delicate material that would mortify the cook if he knew. Problem is, Zoro did not know which things were to be embarrassed about... The funny stuff? _Ah, who the hell knows?_

Zoro shrugged at his thoughts, and answered the question, though he could hardly remember what he read. "Somethin' about wanting to get with Nami... Uhh, a comment about Ussop's 'beak', and some stuff about Luffy and me being idiots. I don't remember that much."

Sanji was surprised when Zoro didn't start anything over being called an idiot again. _Maybe he's accepted it already? He should at least know I'm right._ "Okay, what else? How good is seaweed's short-term memory?"

The swordsman growled at that and began, "A dream, or somethin'. Sort of a stupid thing. If I remember right, you wrote about a dream you had about you and m-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH! IT'S A FREAKIN' SEAGULL HIPPO!" Luffy's voice shouted so loudly that he could have been standing beside Zoro and Sanji trying to break a glass with it (his voice).

But, Zoro and Sanji were no longer in the galley. Faster than should be possible, they ran to the girls' room. Sitting on the edge of the hatch, Robin was holding her ears. She had on a different shirt, a pajama shirt that was unbuttoned halfway, and, Zoro noted, there was a slightly stained bandage wrapped around her waist*. _Oh, yeah... I almost forgot, she was shot earlier._

"Robin-chwan, what happened with Luffy just now?" Sanji asked, trying not to seem rude, but fidgeting awkwardly beside Robin. He wanted to go down there, into the girls' room. He wanted to see about the 'Freakin' seagull hippo'. He wanted to ask if the food was at fault.

That was not to happen.

Seemingly fretting and out of breath, Chopper stood half-way up the ladder to the storage room and eyed the crowd that had gathered. Their eyes questioned him far more than words could have, and he answered with a nervous laugh. "Delusions. Ahaha..."

The three gathered around Robin looking down at Chopper, (Nami had joined them, leaving a wailing Sniper alone on deck), nearly fell over. Delusions? What the hell else was going to happen?

"Um, so," Sanji began, face expressing a single word; 'what?'. "He'll be doing this often? Spouting weirdness?"

Chopper opened his mouth, hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't know. We'll see as time progresses. How's the soup coming?"

"Shit! Excuse me, Nami-san~!" With a brief glance and a bow to Nami, Sanji bolted from the room. In body, anyway. His mind still lingered in the storage room. Well, most of it. The other part was beating the shit out of him for leaving his poor soup to char!

Quickly assuring the safety of lunch, Sanji cut off the stove. It was pretty damn hot soup just then, so, he decided to clean up a bit before fixing bowls. As Sanji rinsed a rag to wipe down the table, he decided it would be best to think more about the Luffy situation, among other serious things.

_He read it... a dream?... Damn, I don't remember it! That's why I wrote it down, I guess, but, still! If it was a dream about him... It couldn't have been good._

_Maybe, I just... wait? I mean, he's forgotten most of it already, so, if I keep asking, I'll probably pull out more memories._

_It's decided, then. I will not bring it up again! The subject is dropped! If he tries to bring it up, I'll drop him! Well, unless what he said that Chopper said that Luffy said was correct. Then what?_

_I can't survive without kicking that rude, ignorant, too-green, meathead's ass! ... Nah, that's too dramatic. I just won't start anything. But, if he starts it, I am sooo kicking his ass._

The door opened and shut quickly, and a mumbling Sniper stalked over to a corner at the far side of the room to retrieve his bloated bag. He greeted Sanji briefly, distractedly, and dug around in his surprisingly noisy bag of junk, until he found whatever it was he was looking for. As he was leaving, he called to Nami that he had a rain keeper-offer.

_A pretty fuckin' useful invention if it works._ Sanji sighed when his thoughts took possession of another subject. It is rather fun to blame oneself relentlessly, but a break every now and then really wouldn't hurt anyone.

The cook pulled several bowls out of the cabinet, not really counting. He'd done this enough that, by now, his hands counted without him even knowing. Quite a useful thing for a chef of the sea to have picked up.

He dipped up hefty amounts for everyone. Chances were that dinner would be delayed this evening, and they need the energy, anyway. When he came to the seventh bowl, he stopped. This one was obviously larger than the others, and there was a sloppy painting of their straw hat skull symbol on the side. This, Sanji knew, was Luffy's favorite bowl.

Inspecting the painting a bit longer, Sanji laughed. Oh, their Captain was definitely gifted. The cook placed the bowl on the counter, and put the lid on the pot. There was no need to make a bowl for an unconscious Nakama. It would get cold.

Sanji took a step back from the stove and counter and just looked at it for a bit. _I don't even know if we're in the clear enough for everyone to sit down to a meal... Shitty storms._

"_Sanji-kun! Is that almost done?_" Nami's agitated voice entered the kitchen just before she did, holding a strange contraption. It looked like a giant circle on a two-foot stick, and its edges turned up very abruptly at the ends. A bowl?

"Nami-swan~! Yes, it is ready for you!" Sanji fluttered over to her, relieved her of the bowl-on-a-stick, and sat her down on one of the benches at the table. He placed a bowl in front of her, and she thanked him briefly, before telling him to get the others.

"Is it okay to have everyone in here at once? With the weather and all?" Sanji asked as he took two bowls off the counter one for Robin, one for Chopper, balancing both on one arm.

The redhead thought about it a moment, and nodded slowly. "I'm pretty sure. At least, most everyone can and will eat fast, so," She shrugged, trailing off. Sanji nodded, smiling, and held up the weird bowl-on-a-stick. "May I use this?" He asked. Nami nodded without looking at him. She either knew what he was asking about, or she just really liked the soup. Whichever it was, it made Sanji happy, as he skipped out of the kitchen holding the bowl-on-a-stick in one hand, and Chopper and Robin's lunch in the other.

He glanced out at the two, who were still working slave-driven under Nami, and called out; "Oi! Shitheads! You've worked hard enough for now. Lunch is ready, so go."

The cook barely broke stride as he held the bowl-on-a-stick in the crook of his elbow, and opened the door to the storage room with his free hand. He walked through the darkness, luckily not tripping on any of the boxes, and tapped on the hatch to the girls' room with his right foot. "Robin-chaaan~! I brought lunch for youuuuu! And you, too, Chopper!"

Sanji stepped back as the hatch was opened. Chopper popped his head out, holding a book in one hoof, and another under his chin. "*Arigatou, Sanji! Could you put them on this table down here?" The doctor squeaked, dropping back down to the floor, and hopping over to a nightstand beside the bed that Robin occupied. The cook did as he was told, and smiled at Robin as he placed her bowl down beside her.

"Are you feeling any better, my lovely flower?" Sanji asked, stepping back from her bed. Robin smiled at him. "I'm afraid, only a little bit better, Cook-san. Thank you for the soup." She bowed her head towards him slightly, in thanks, and sat up straighter as she picked up her bowl.

"You are very welcome~! I shall cook for you anytime, Robin-chwan~!" Sanji swooned, leaning towards the ladder. "I must be off, now, my love~!" He called, waving like a cat, with a similar expression.

As Sanji turned to leave, he spotted Luffy, out of the corner of his eye, stirring a bit. He turned to face the patient's bed fully, and hesitated a moment, before asking, "You think he'll be up soon?"

Robin and Chopper exchanged a look, and the doctor said, "Well, maybe. I think he will wake up soon, but, I'm not sure. Why?"

The cook turned his head to the side so that he could raise his eyebrow where the other two would see it. "That's really not even a question, Chopper." Sanji said, looking at Luffy, whose back was turned to them. "But, I just want to know if I should make him a bowl or not?"

The doctor glanced at Robin again, receiving a slight raise of the eyebrow from her, and as he walked over to Luffy, he said; "You know, I have a thought. Maybe... you don't need to wait for him to wake up? Bring me one of those bowls of soup, please, Sanji."

"O-kay...?" The blonde made no secret of his confusion as he went back over to the table, picked up the bowl that was to be Chopper's, and handed it to the doctor that stood on a stool at Luffy's bedside, leaning over him.

"Thanks."

"No problem...? What are you doing?"

Chopper held the bowl by Luffy's face and, in a calm voice, said, "Luffy... It's mealtime. Sanji made some delicious meat soup for youuuu." Chopper waved a hoof over the bowl, fanning the aroma towards Luffy's nose.

The Captain's mouth twitched and he sat up abruptly. His eyes were closed, and his head was lolling around on his neck. "Foood. *Itadakiiii..." Luffy grabbed the bowl from Chopper, causing both the doctor and the cook to gasp, and the Captain gulped down the contents.

"L-luff-"

"*Gocchisou-sama." Luffy bowed, and began snoring. A terribly confusing thing has just occurred. What did Sanji think? _He didn't even fuckin' wake up... Isn't that... bad manners? Who even does that?_

"Somehow, that seems quite... normal. For Luffy anyway." The cook mused aloud. Chopper and Robin nodded simultaneously. It was very like their Captain to sleep-eat. Quite a letdown, though, because Chopper had hoped to speak with Luffy about his delusions, and Sanji had hoped to just talk to him. About anything. Make himself feel better.

_How selfish does that sound...?_ Sanji thought to himself, shaking his head. The sound of the rain falling on the deck increased that moment, until it sounded like heavy gun fire. The Merry swayed deeply to the right, and back again.

"_Damn it! I thought that was a break a minute ago! Oh- my mikans! You two get your asses out here with a tarp!_" Nami screamed, sounding to the occupants of the girls' room like she was just barely whispering.

"Nami-swaaaan~! I'll help~!" Sanji called as he ran into the storage room, earning himself a harsh shushing from Chopper. The doctor shook his head, gently pushing Luffy back into a laying position, and looked at Robin.

"This is going to be a _very_ long month." He said. Slowly, Robin nodded in agreement, taking a bite of soup.

Chopper perked slightly, smelling the delicious lunch, and looked at the bowl that sat empty in Luffy's lap. "... He ate my lunch, damn it!"

_***Arigatou- Thank you. (For those of you who don't know that.)**_

_***Ittadaki (-mas, -masu)- Said before eating a meal. (It's just polite, ya know?)**_

_***Gocchisou-sama (deshita)- Said after finishing a meal, as thanks. (Didn't you know that? xD)**_

_**Okay, so, I didn't so much work with Robin, or, with the Sanji's diary situation. Not very good, right? Well, I'm working on it. .;**_

_**I'm going to be working on the Halloween story more, now, so I won't update this very quickly. Not like I did, anyway, but still... REVIEW!**_

_**Note: In the next chapter, I'll be doing a teency-tincey little time skip, so, please, bear with me!**_


	5. Slight recovery!

**Sorry it's taken such a long time! T_T**

**Really, I had planned to update sooner, but, I got a mega case of writer's block and the rest is history. Anyway, I'll update a little faster from now on, because I have a renewed interest in this story. ^^**

**Enjoy!**

Up in the crow's nest, a certain sniper was leaning over the rail, perhaps conscious, possibly alive. Down on the foredeck, the navigator couldn't be more relieved and unconscious. Leaning against the mast, the cook's tired lips clung to a soggy cigarette, just barely still awake. Back by the navigator's *mikans, the swordsman was silent and still, sprawled out with his head pressed up against the railing. They had all earned their rest. Certainly after a two-day non-stop way-too-much storm fest, they were all due for an extra sleep-filled naptime.

The sun was setting beautifully against the cleared horizon, blowing away any clue that there had been a relentless storm a mere hour before. Had any of them been looking at it, surely the on-deck Straw hats would have flipped it off, that stupid sun.

Chopper swerved through the storage room with his arms full of blankets for the well-worked crew. Slowly and quietly, exercising his sneaky, Chopper covered Nami and Zoro with blankets. He didn't know how to go about covering Sanji, as he was upright, so the doctor climbed the mast and tossed a blanket over Ussop before returning to a gravity-defying task.

Sanji laughed weakly, watching Chopper struggle inwardly. "I'll just take that, if you don't mind?" Sanji offered, holding out his hand.

"Ah, sorry, did I wake you?" Chopper asked, handing Sanji the blanket. The cook slowly draped the blanket over his shoulders and sighed, thankful for the unheard-of being of warm and dry. "Nah, I was already awake. Or, still, I guess. Thanks, Chopper." Sanji pat the top of Chopper's pink hat, and the doctor blushed. "Don't mention it, ya bastard~!"

Sanji laughed, slightly less tired-sounding, and shoved away from the mast with his shoulder. "I'mma go take a shower really quick. Think you can handle this, Chopper?" Sanji asked, over his shoulder.

"L-leave it to me!"

Sanji smiled, and retrieved a change of clothes from the men's room before heading to the bathroom. Once the door shut behind him, Chopper released the breath he'd been holding. He was a little paranoid about being in charge above and below deck, but, Sanji had trusted him with that job, so he would do his best.

As quietly as he could, Chopper paced the length of the ship, very serious, and keeping an ear out for Luffy and Robin, who had been on bed rest without exception. It had been quite a task to keep both of them from rolling out of their beds in the middle of the night and the eye of the storm. Chopper ended up pushing their beds together so they'd have to roll into each other, in hopes that would slow them down so he could go catch them. It hadn't, but, he still thought it was a good idea.

"Oi." A voice caused Chopper to jump a foot off the deck, and dart behind the mast. He peered around the edge, slowly, not actually doing well in hiding himself. "Who's there?" Chopper asked. He silently hoped somebody would wake up and help him. That is, until he saw who was speaking.

Zoro had rolled over onto his side, and was staring at Chopper. "A little jumpy, Chopper?" Zoro asked, smiling when Chopper breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it's only you! You scared me, Zoro!" Chopper accused. The swordsman laughed, a lot louder and more joyful than one would have imagined.

"Well, if you're up to it, could you help me get these two below deck? It's getting cold and dark up here." Chopper gestured around the deck, and nodded towards the main mast. Zoro took a deep breath before heaving himself up. "I'll get Ussop." He said, thudding over to the mast. Chopper nodded and switched to his heavy point, and picking up Nami. She groaned something in her sleep, and Chopper froze.

Zoro was halfway to the crow's nest when he heard, "Where do I put her? The beds in the girls' room are occupied."

He thought for a second, wondering how badly Nami would react if she woke up in the men's room. After reaching the conclusion of 'pretty fucking badly', Zoro remembered that Chopper's work space contained a couch. "Put her in the galley, on the couch." He called down, just above a whisper. Chopper nodded and carefully made his way to the galley.

Once Zoro was up high enough to see into the crow's nest, he gawked. Ussop was sprawled out all over the place, and snoring, loudly. Zoro couldn't tell if the wetness dripping from Ussop's head hanging over the edge was drool, tears, or rain. Whichever one it was, Zoro was grossed out.

After a moment of dallying, trying to figure out how to pick him up, Zoro just slung Ussop over his shoulder, and descended as if it was nothing. Ussop did about the same, snorting a little. He didn't wake, but, Zoro hadn't expected him to, so he wasn't worried.

The swordsman barely batted an eye as he opened the door to the men's room and climbed right in. He roughly flopped Ussop down on his bed, (Ussop's, not Zoro's), and the sniper didn't even stir. The blanket Chopper had given him was still wrapped around Ussop, so, Zoro just left without another thought.

On deck, Chopper was leaning against the door to the storage room, back to his normal size. His head kept rolling to one side, then snapping back, and, though the rim of his hat covered his eyes, Zoro could tell they were crossing in exhaustion. "You can go sleep. I've got this." Zoro said, though he was just as tired as Chopper, if not more so.

The doctor looked up with eyes that were more than half closed. "Eh? Are you sure?" He asked, swaying a little. Zoro nodded. "Yeah, go get some sleep."

Chopper thanked him as profusely as he could half-conscious, and already leaving. He stumbled down into the men's room, and it didn't sound like he hurt himself, so Zoro shrugged and went to the kitchen.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do. He could always nap, like he does when he's on watch, most of the time. Then again, he'd told Chopper he'd 'got this', so, he didn't think sleeping would be his best option. In any case, he wasn't just tired, he was hungry. The kitchen is a good place to be when you're hungry, Zoro figured.

He hadn't been wrong, per se, just a little bit off in his facts. As Zoro was rummaging through the fridge, Sanji walked into the kitchen, clad in a fresh suit with a towel on his head. You see, the kitchen is a good place to be when you're hungry, if it isn't Sanji's kitchen, and you aren't hungry when he's not there.

Sanji stared at Zoro, whose hands were full of leftovers, and took a deep breath. "What're you looking for?" He asked, rubbing his hair dry with the towel. Zoro was a little shocked that he didn't immediately get kicked out, but, he quickly recovered from that. "Just food." Zoro said, cautiously turning back to the fridge.

"Ah, I see." Sanji said, nodding. He walked over to the table with light steps, and sat down on the tabletop, still drying his hair. To say the least, Zoro was utterly shocked. Where was the violent Sanji, he asked himself, The Sanji with spark? Honestly, he didn't miss the Sanji with spark, he'd just assume dance on his grave. No, Zoro was perfectly content to let sleeping dogs lie. He just wondered if the real Sanji was anywhere close, so he could be prepared.

Zoro glanced over his shoulder every few seconds, just to be sure, as he got himself a bowl of whatever. Sanji noticed this, and laughed. "You're awfully paranoid, eh, Marimo?" Sanji asked, rhetorically, as he hopped off the table and over to the fridge that Zoro was about to close.

The swordsman stepped away from the fridge, allowing Sanji past without a remark. He was sure he must have been tired, and that he should still be on his guard, but, nothing about Sanji said he was about to attack. _So, what the hell's going on?_ Zoro thought.

Ever-so-cautiously, Zoro made his way over to the table and sat down. He dug into whichever cold leftovers he'd picked out, not a care in the world. The food could be on fire, taste like shit, give him a heart attack and get him beat up by Sanji all at once. He wouldn't care. He was practically starving. Sanji, however, did care.

The cook retrieved a frying pan from one of the various cupboards, and placed it on the stove, before turning the eye on. He dumped a container of rice and vegetables into the pan, and quickly knocked the chill off of it. As soon as it was heated up, he put it back into its original container to avoid dirtying unnecessary dishes, grabbed the first clean spoon he could lay his hands on, leaned against the counter and ate. Quite a production just for a 'quick' lunch, but, Sanji was a disciplined chef. He could do nothing food related half-assed, including eat.

Several quiet minutes passed before Zoro started to get annoyed. They were just sitting there, standing in Sanji's case, not talking, not arguing, not anything. Well, they were eating, but that didn't count. Zoro was almost sure he'd either fall asleep, or snap at that point.

Immediately upon realizing what he'd just thought, Zoro yawned. Sleep actually sounded like a favorable idea, at the time. And, Sanji was up, so Zoro could freely rest without worrying about keeping watch. That had settled it.

Zoro stood from the table and put his dishes in the sink with a noisy clank. "I'm gonna take a nap." He announced, heading for the door. Before he could get very far, he heard Sanji say, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Why not?" Zoro grumbled, looking over his shoulder as he placed a hand on the door. Sanji was still leaning against the counter with a perfectly neutral expression on his face. "Because, then you'd owe me." Sanji stated that like a fact.

"What the hell!" Zoro growled. "I don't owe you!"

"Sure you do. Unless, those aren't your dirty dishes in the sink?"

"..."

"Uh-huh. Get over here, idiot."

"Don't call me an idiot, dart brow!"

Zoro glared at Sanji, feeling their typical fight rising to a boil. He didn't have his swords on him, and that could hinder things greatly into Sanji's favor, but, they were just out on deck by Nami's bushes. He could easily reach them before Sanji could really hurt him. Or, he could do his dishes. Whichever suited him.

Honestly, he never liked doing the dishes.

"Oi, Zoro! Your dishes are waiting for you." Sanji said, tapping his heel against the cabinets behind him. Zoro frowned. "No. They're celebrating; now that they're free of that shit you call food."*

"What did you say?" Sanji snapped. It didn't take much for them to grate on each other's nerves, but, the whole process went a lot faster when Zoro insulted Sanji's cooking. He would have been better off insulting Sanji's mother. Probably. Maybe.

"You heard me!" Zoro smirked triumphantly. He'd started it- _Oh, shit._

Sanji lashed out with a high kick, aiming for Zoro's head. The swordsman easily dodged, stepping back and leaning away, getting himself closer to the door, and his swords. Sanji seemed to pause a little, before pushing off the counter and launching his leg at Zoro again, this time at his chest. Again, Zoro evaded, and again, and again, until they were out on deck. Sanji was getting irritated that Zoro wasn't fighting back, especially since he still wasn't beating him. They were in a perfect stalemate, and Sanji was the only one on the offensive.

Then the thought crossed Sanji's mind about what Zoro said that Chopper said that Luffy said. _Maybe Zoro's abiding by that...? No way. He fucking started it!_ Sanji quickly sent another powerful kick towards Zoro, but the swordsman jumped over Sanji's leg, in the direction of Nami's bushes.

"What the hell?" Sanji wasn't giving up yet. The bastard had insulted his cooking, after all! He could grovel and beg, or he could get his ass kicked, and Sanji didn't even feel like letting Zoro grovel and beg. The cook wondered, briefly, why he wasn't being fought, but, watching Zoro, he knew exactly why. This was not going to be a simple and easily resolved thing; Zoro was getting his swords. Their fights went quicker when it was hand-to-foot, but, sword-to-foot was bound to wake the whole crew. Unless, of course, they made it a quiet contest, too, in which case, they'd be going forever, undisturbed.

Sanji snapped out of his thoughts right quick and in a hurry with the assistance of two swords coming right at him in an 'X'. He jumped to the right, quite frankly shocked. _I should have been paying more attention,_ Sanji scolded himself, keeping a close eye on the sharp, gleaming blades.

"Hmm. I was beginning to wonder if you still knew how to use those." Sanji said, slyly. Of course he knew Zoro could never forget how to be a swordsman, he just wanted to piss him off. Sanji was confident that that was not a hard task.

"Shut up, dart brow!" Zoro barked, striking a bit more of an imposing stance. Sanji smirked at his victory, as he shooshed the swordsman. "You'll wake everyone up, idiot." Sanji said, smoothly. He received a growl in response, and the battle was _on_.

Apparently, Zoro'd felt attack-deprived, because Sanji was dodging swords left and right, not even having the proper time and distance to block. Oh yes, he'd thought it through, many times, whilst they fought. He knew the exact distances at which he needed to be to land any number of attacks. Zoro wasn't letting him get close enough for a single one of them to connect.

Zoro kept up his masterful techniques, driving Sanji to the stairs and down onto the foredeck with little space left between his blades and Sanji's skin. He knew it would just piss the cook off if he sliced a gaping hole in that pristine dress shirt of his, so he kept trying for that, but, he couldn't ever get a clean chance. It's not like he wanted to slice Sanji open or anything. He just wanted to make him raging mad and obliterate him the old-fashioned way, with honor, pride, and a whole lot of cussing, not to mention a fantastic display of Zoro's own superior skills.

The cook seemed to have changed his mind about fighting, because to Zoro it looked like he was stumbling in his aversions of Zoro's attacks. That was strangely disturbing to the swordsman, to the point of his considering cutting Sanji some slack, but, when he received a heavy kick to the shoulder, he charged right back into the fight without a qualm.

Dodging as quietly as he could, Sanji felt like he was forgetting something. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, though, and that bothered him. It felt important, whatever that hazy shadow was that represented the forgotten. He didn't have time to just stand still and regroup his thoughts at the moment, so Sanji did his best to ignore the feeling in the pit of his stomach that was best described as _'hohshit'._

Leaving no space for dwelling, Sanji took a six-inch opportunity to kick Zoro in the gut. The swordsman grunted at the impact, sliding backwards and almost slipping. The deck was still slick with rain and sleet, which was an advantage for neither man, as it caused both of them to over-shoot or stumble.

But, weather couldn't slow them down, and neither could words. Almost in absolute silence, slicing through the air without so much as a 'whoosh', Zoro grasped his left blade backwards and sliced at Sanji with his right blade about a foot above his left, catching only a lock of blonde hair as Sanji jumped backwards away from the attack.

"Wow, that one almost hit!" Sanji said, in mock astonishment.

"Yeah, it almost did. Guess you're slipping, cook!" Zoro taunted, making another right-to-left slash at Sanji. The attack was dodged with increasing effort, and Sanji was beginning to feel that. He didn't know if Zoro had noticed yet, but, he really was slipping. Maybe not in the 'I'm losing my touch' kind of way, but, certainly in the 'the deck is really wet and slippery' way.

But, Sanji couldn't say that. He couldn't say anything. That would make him look like an absolute chicken, for crying out loud! So, he wouldn't say anything. He'd just kick Zoro's ass anyway.

_Why do I feel like there should be an 'or so I thought' moment here?_ Sanji extended a thought towards that feeling in his stomach that hadn't wavered once. It was a feeling he'd experienced for fleeting moments, he realized, since he started thinking about it again. In tight places, when between a rock, a hard place, a bed of nails, and a stalactite ceiling, that's when the feeling made itself known. _So, why now?_

The sun was set, the deck was wet, Sanji was off his game, and all of those things somehow came together at the exact wrong time. Zoro lunged at him, blades looking sharper than they had at first, and everything switched to slow motion. Sanji knew that nothing was moving slowly, but, it really felt like it when he made a certain realization. He was trying to block Zoro's attack with his foot, and that's exactly what he was doing. The problem? _Shit...! My shoes!_

Sanji knew a naked foot would do him no good against blades, and he wasn't sure how he hadn't realized earlier; he'd just forgotten to put his shoes back on after his shower. It was too late to do him any good, but, Sanji knew he should have triple-checked himself before starting a fight like that. Or did he start it? He couldn't even remember. All he could think was _why the fuck won't I move?_

His body was stuck there, mid-slip, with one foot up as defense.

A cold tingle possessed his spine and the spot on his foot that feared for its life.

He watched Zoro's eyes in that second, that second that felt like an hour. He couldn't tell what was going through Zoro's mind exactly, but, he could see that Zoro wasn't going to be able to stop. Sanji closed his eyes, preparing himself.

Real-life speed caught up with them right then. Sanji's heart was beating a mile a minute, so loudly that he couldn't hear anything else.

A brutal impact knocked Sanji back onto the deck, subsequently knocking the wind out of him and making him hit his head hard. That wasn't the kind of impact he had been expecting.

Sanji had to work to gather his brains enough to process what just happened, to process the pressure and the pain. His head was throbbing painfully, so, it took Sanji a second to collect himself enough to try and sit up. "What the hell just happened?" Sanji wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

"Idiot." Zoro's voice groaned from somewhere that Sanji determined was way too close. Strong tan hands planted themselves firmly in the deck on either side of Sanji's chest, and pushed up what looked like a green blur.

"Huh?" Sanji tried to mirror the frown that he was receiving from the swordsman above him, but, he was sure that his face showed his confusion. He didn't feel hurt, (Other than his head and his shoulders where he hit the deck), but, Sanji knew he should have. He couldn't figure out what happened in the two split-seconds his eyes were closed.

Zoro expression seemed to get darker the longer he looked at Sanji. Seemed to, as in, Sanji looked more confused the longer Zoro looked at him. Zoro himself didn't know why he was practically glaring at the cook, but, it might have had something to do with the measures he took not to really hurt Sanji. Their current position, for instance.

"Marimo...?" Sanji asked, in an innocent, questioning tone. His voice sounded strange to even himself, but, it was already out. He looked around for a way to form a full sentence and saw Zoro's swords off to either side of them. His eyebrows knitted together. "Did you _throw_ your swords?" Sanji asked, sounding slightly loopy. He must have hit his head hard, because he was having trouble picturing Zoro tossing aside his swords and giving him the world's worst bear hug.

Zoro frowned deeper. "I guess so." He grumbled, glancing at his haphazardly tossed weapons. He knew he'd have to polish them later on, but, he was going to do that anyway. Turning his gaze back to Sanji, Zoro said, "But, that's your fault."

"How is it my fault?" Sanji asked, offended. He owed Zoro one for not slicing him open, but, Sanji had too much pride to admit that he was at fault. Because, after all, he wasn't. It was Zoro's fault, Sanji was sure. Everything was Zoro's fault.

The swordsman, who was still on all fours above Sanji, rolled his eyes. "Never fucking mind." He grumbled, shifting his weight onto his right hand and mussing up his own hair with his left. Sanji had no idea how to react to that, so, he just slid out from under Zoro. He didn't particularly want to argue with Zoro, at least until he got his shoes on.

"I'm gonna take a nap." Zoro announced suddenly as he stood. He picked up his swords and carted them over to Nami's mikan bushes, where he plopped down flat on his back and closed his eyes. He could almost see Sanji's confused, twitchy eyebrow. But, he wasn't going to do a damn thing about it. Mostly because he didn't know what to do, but, he also thought of it as payback. The most pathetic payback he'd ever dealt, no doubt.

It was starting to get cold, he noticed. He'd didn't want to be awake yet, but, he had to cover up. It was harder to sleep when you were freezing your ass off. Sitting up, he thought to himself, _I'm kind of hungry, too..._ If that wasn't motivation, nothing was. He climbed out of bed, grabbed a blanket to wrap around himself and made a tired march up the ladder.

"Ow~..." He hit the top of his head on the hatch, forgetting ever-so-briefly that there was a hatch. He fumbled to open the lock that he didn't even remember being there. It was difficult, given his eyes were clouded with so much sleep dust, he might well have been still asleep. Once he managed to open the mean lock, he roughly pushed the hatch up and heaved himself out of the room and onto a freezing cold floor. He shivered epically and squirmed his way into an upright, standing position.

_Now, which way is it...?_ He tried to look around, despite his eyes having drooped almost completely shut. He couldn't quite recall where he had been resting or even the layout of the ship at that moment, but, he could always trust his nose to guide him. Not without error, he made his way to a peculiar un-delicious smell with his eyes closed.

He was sure he must have hit a wall about twelve different times, and tripped over his own feet a couple of other times. He didn't remember the walk to the kitchen being as strenuous as it was when his eyes were closed. It wasn't as if he could easily open his eyes to find the right way, though, because they felt like they were glued shut. Oh, but, he would manage, because his stomach was running on empty.

Once he accidentally bumped into a wall that gave way, he grinned. The kitchen door just swings open. "Fooo~ooooood!" He whined, blinking until his eyes could stay open enough to see.

"Luffy!" He knew it was Sanji's voice, even though he couldn't really see the cook that well. "Are you supposed to be out of bed already? You feeling okay?"

He paused for a moment, thinking on it. _I wonder if I have to wait long for meat. ... Could I fit the whole fridge in my mouth? That'd be cool. I wonder if fridges taste yummy. I guess I could taste it before I eat it whole... Nah, that wouldn't work. It's probably really hard to chew, anyway... And there are probably gross vegetables in there... Hey, Sanji, make me some meat~!_

"Hey, Sanji, make me some meeeeeaat~!" He finally said, dragging the last word a mile out. Luffy stumbled over to the table and laid himself flat on his stomach on one bench, then pointed at where he remembered the stove to be.

Sanji was waiting for Luffy to answer, wondering to himself if Chopper had been awake to allow Luffy out of bed all by himself. The Captain just swayed back and forth for a minute, his eyes completely closed, and pouted about something. "Hey, Sanji, make me some meeeeeaat~!" Luffy whined, tripping his way over to the table and acting as a plank lay right on top of the bench. Extremely odd, Sanji noted, but, he hadn't really expected Luffy to be fully functional after everything that had happened thus far. No, fully functional didn't even occur to him, he just hoped the Captain's brain wouldn't be at the beck and call of his stomach.

Luffy pointed to the wine rack, causing Sanji to raise an eyebrow. "Erm... Luffy?"

"Uhh."

"You want... booze?"

"Nuh."

"Okay. Meat, then. What kind of meat?"

"Uhh."

Sanji assumed that meant 'the kind we've got', and set to work. He wasn't entirely sure that Luffy was awake, but, after seeing his Captain eat while asleep, he had decided that consciousness was not necessary. _Besides, if Luffy could eat and rest at the same time, isn't that a good thing?_

It took almost no time for Sanji to cook a gargantuan meal, one he assumed Luffy could eat all by himself. He was used to all the proportioning for seven people, plus second helpings. He wasn't sure if everyone's appetites were normal, worse, better, he didn't know, but, the food would get eaten one way or another. In any case, he had cooked and set out a plate for Luffy, and a plate for himself.

As he carried both plates over to the table, Sanji called for Luffy, (who was still acting as a layer of paint on the bench), to sit up. The Captain whined something about being cold and slapped his palms against the bench. He pushed himself up, slowly, showing red marks on his forehead and nose. "Meat?" Luffy asked pitifully, swaying a bit as he sat on his legs and turned his head towards Sanji.

"Yeah, there's meat in there." Sanji said, sliding Luffy's plate over to him. Luffy eyed the plate with a pout on his face, reaching up and poking at the salad-ish mix of vegetables and meat. "Nu-uh. There's green stuff." Luffy mumbled, sounding about like a three-year-old.

Sanji turned an unimpressed stare upon his Captain. "They're good for you. Besides, I thought you just scarfed down whatever was in front of you?" The cook pointed out. Sometimes he didn't like Luffy's black hole tendencies, but, compared to how some of the others eat, he preferred them. Luffy didn't waste food, so, Sanji tolerated his insane appetite.

Luffy shook his head. "I don't want to eat this. It makes my stomach sad." He mumbled, patting his stomach in a comforting gesture. Sanji was caught between slapping him and laughing. "Luffy, your stomach would probably appreciate the food, no matter what color it is." He tried to reason, but, the Captain wasn't having any of it. "I dun wanna be sick again~..." Luffy whined, flopping forward to face plant on the table.

_What can I really say to that...?_ Sanji asked himself, sighing. He couldn't make Luffy eat... Well, it never occurred to him that he might, at some point, have to. But, putting aside the fact that it's Luffy, he couldn't force an ill person to eat something they didn't want to, unless it was definitely going to help them get better. _I'd think food in itself would help, but, maybe I'm the only one._

After a moment of self-versus-self debating, Sanji sighed again and propped his elbow on the table top. "Listen to me. This is what I made, and, you need to eat, so why not eat this?" He asked, gesturing towards Luffy's plate.

The Captain turned his head up so that his chin was resting on the table and aimed his pitiful expression at Sanji. "It looks mean."

"What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, shaking his head and narrowing his eyes. Food could look mean? That didn't make sense to him. It was only in a sort of heap, it really didn't have any particular meanness about it. At least nothing visible to the rational eye.

Luffy fidgeted in his seat and averted his eyes from his food. "It's making fun of me."

"It's food Luffy. It can't do that." Sanji stated, biting his lip so he wouldn't laugh.

"But, it can! It tells me that I'll... I'll, uh..." Luffy trailed off, blinking very slowly at something by the door.

"What does it tell you, Luffy?" Sanji asked, cautiously, trying to spot whatever was so entrancing.

Luffy mumbled some odd chant and traced shapes on the table with his fingers. He kept going on with his indistinct chatter, even when Sanji asked him to speak up. Suddenly, he shouted, "And really bad eggs!" Causing Sanji to jump what felt like ten feet in the air.

"What?" Sanji asked, forcing his shocked expression to mold into the most questioning face he could make. He didn't know if that would do him any good, but... what was he supposed to do about 'really bad eggs'?

Luffy giggled in his childish way, tossing his head back to make sure he experienced the full funny of whatever he was laughing at. "Hey, I- well, maybe- I think I had a- no, no, no, it wasn't a dream. Never mind." Luffy babbled. Sanji didn't know what to do with him. He didn't know what he should do about anything, at that point in time. So, what could he have done, other than sit with Luffy and listen to him ramble on about things as they occurred to him?

Occasionally, Sanji would try and goad Luffy into eating something, but, with little success. It seemed Luffy had a taste for meat that he decided was shaped like an animal, olives, and strawberry tarts that Sanji had made for the ladies. A crying shame, truly, but, if Luffy was eating, Sanji wasn't going to complain. Much.

Eventually, Luffy passed out on the floor of the kitchen, bundled up in five or so blankets. It was dark outside and had been for a while, so, Sanji knew it was really late. He needed to get some rest, but, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of anyone besides Luffy in hours, and that meant he was the only one up enough to keep watch.

It was not the most friendly of ideas, staying up to keep watch, but, he certainly wasn't going to make Luffy do it, or wake one of his precious women, and Ussop needed rest as much as he did, and... Well, the idea of talking to Zoro seemed a little odd. Sanji didn't know why it was weird, so, he told himself it was because Zoro could not be awoken once he fell asleep. He really couldn't think of anything else that could be done about his situation aside from nominating himself for look-out duty.

The moment Sanji was up in the crow's nest with a blanket wrapped around himself, though, there wasn't much look-outing that got accomplished before he fell asleep during the first rays of the morning sun.

"-God!"

"-p here everyone, Luffy's awake!"

Sanji shifted so that the binoculars he so foolishly fell asleep wearing weren't jabbing him in the side. He didn't particularly feel like going down there, especially since he'd known Luffy was awake already. He could vaguely remember being awakened earlier that morning when Luffy had wandered the ship by himself chanting, 'gotta piss' over and over.

Not to say that Sanji wasn't worried about him, because, Heaven help him, he was. Only, his tired body outweighed his worry. He could rest easier if the others were looking after Luffy. Besides, if he wasn't mistaken, and he highly doubted he was, the two shouting were Nami and Chopper. There were no two sets of hands more capable than theirs, Sanji decided, and dozed once more before he could revise that.

The next time he awoke, he heard thudding around on the deck, and was fairly certain someone was climbing the mast. He rubbed his face to try and wake up because he could tell it was mid-day, at least, and everybody was probably starving. "Shit. I didn't even clean up the kitchen last night..." Sanji groaned.

"I FOUND HIM!" Luffy shouted, peeking his head over the edge of the crow's nest and scaring the _shit_ out of Sanji. "Damn it, Luffy! I just woke up! Don't fucking shout in my fucking ear!" Sanji grumbled, rubbing at his poor ear.

The Captain straightened his hat, grinning ear to ear. "Sorry about that! Hey, Sanji I'm huuuuuungry~!" He whined, suddenly drooping over into the crow's nest, becoming a perfect specimen of pitiful. Sanji attempted to smudge his own face off as he released a heavy sigh. "I'll be right down." He groaned.

"Awesome!" Luffy perked up immediately and let himself drop to the deck with a loud clop of his shoes. Sanji rolled his eyes to the sky. "That was fast..." He mumbled. _Judging from his attitude all of a sudden, he's getting better pretty fast. I thought he was supposed to be sick for a month, though? Not that I'm complaining. I wouldn't do that. I'll take energetic, bottomless Luffy over sick, fever-hallucinating Luffy any day._

Sanji fished his cigarettes out of his pocket, and began patting himself down in search of matches or something. He really needed more sleep, but, a smoke would do, he decided. He didn't even get that much before a sound called for his attention. A sound that, at first, he could not place. Sort of a coughing noise, he thought.

He leaned over so he could see what was going on below. Nothing seemed amiss. _Where is that sound coming from_?

"Oh, shit! He's doing it again, Chopper!" That was Zoro's voice. Sanji couldn't see him, so, he guessed that he was below deck. He saw Chopper rush from the foredeck into the storage room toting his doctor bag and the sounds clicked in Sanji's mind. Luffy was getting sick again.

Sanji sighed. He didn't understand the panic over a little barfing. They acted like they could help Luffy in some way, but, it was already happening. Unless, of course, there was something unusual about this particular sick?

"I need more hands down here!" Chopper voice shot out through the open storage room door. Sanji's eyes widened.

He launched himself over the edge of the crow's nest and landed flat on his feet already at the stairs. He ran up to and through the storage room, into the open bathroom where Luffy was lying in the floor curled in on himself. Chopper was trying to get something into Luffy's throat when he spotted Sanji. "Don't just stand there! Get those towels!"

*** Mikans - Tangerines. (I don't know if I've translated this before, or if there's anyone who doesn't know, or if I had another asterisk somewhere, but... there ya go!)**

**So? Was it worth the wait? Wasn't it? Was it awful? Was it awesome? Was that a cliffhanger? Do I really not know the answers to any of these? xD**

**Okay, but, seriously now, what did you think? Leave a review please~ 3**

**A pardon in advance, if you'll allow, I'm going to be working on my story Your Heart for a bit, it won't take long, but, it'll just be a small delay. I would appreciate it, though, if my lovely reader, (Singular? xD), would venture into my other works to entertain their mind until my next update. ~ Ciao.**


	6. Always a Bump in the Road!

**Ahhh, forgive me, it has been far too long since my last update! I was a fool to think that 3 stories at once would work nicely... TT_TT**

**Before the start of the chapter, I would like to thank everyone for their reviews, I really, _really_ love them. Except for one. I should update soon, huh? Baka.**

**In any case, here it is! Please enjoy, and please review!**

_As quickly as things had gotten better, they copped a U-turn right back to the Captain being bedridden..._

After much figuring-outing of their situation, night had come again, and Ussop was babysitting Luffy. Robin had volunteered for watch, so Chopper occupied her bed, resting up for the early morning check-up he knew he'd have to do. He couldn't really sleep, but, he liked to pretend. He might have even had a chance at sleep if it weren't for that smell; that inescapable fume. The smell of sick and the smell of blood both mixed together in the air, perhaps light enough that only he suffered from the scent.

It was horrid. The smell in itself, and the reason it was there. He didn't know how to fix it. Luffy was sick and Chopper was what? A bad doctor? He didn't think so. But, he couldn't come up with anything that would help.

_"Don't just stand there! Get those towels!" Chopper nodded towards a pile of towels in the corner. Sanji seemed to fumble with his thoughts for a moment before stooping to get the towels. He knelt by Chopper and handed him the first towel he laid hands on. "What's going on?" Sanji asked._

_"Haven't you heard anything this morning?" Zoro yelled. Chopper instructed Zoro to lift Luffy up and turn him over so he wouldn't choke. He did as he was told and Luffy began coughing and gasping. "Thank God." Chopper whispered._

_A puddle of reddish-brown liquid started to pool together where Luffy was coughing. "What the hell?" Sanji couldn't think of a way to help or a thing to say. Chopper sighed and wiped Luffy's forehead. "Sanji, get a glass of water and some salt please?" Chopper requested. Sanji nodded with a confused expression on his face and took off through the storage room._

_Luffy's breathing evened out a bit and his eyelids fluttered open. "Ugh, again?" He coughed._

_"Yeah." Zoro nodded._

_"Luffy, you need to stop bouncing around so much! I told you to take it easy!" Chopper scolded in his soft, worried sort of way. Luffy giggled and coughed intermittently. "Sorry about that." He apologized, nodding slightly. Luffy sat back on his feet and supported himself with his hands on the floor in front of his knees. "I'll try to sit still!"_

_"You'll do more than try! You will! And that's that!"_

He knew he should've expected Luffy to still be sick. His original diagnosis, after all, concluded that Luffy would be ill for at least a month. He just wanted to believe the Captain was stronger than that. He just wanted to believe that he, himself, was smarter than that, and that he could find a way to fix everything.

Chopper sighed and shifted under the covers. He stared at his hat that he'd put beside him on the bed. _I need to figure this out..._

"Hey, Ussop?"

"Yeah?"

Chopper paused before asking, "Do you think we'll reach an island soon?"

"We should. I mean, with the weather and Marines and stuff, we've gotta be getting close."

"Yeah..."

Chopper heard Ussop shifting a little bit, followed by a snort from Luffy. "What did you do just now?" Chopper asked. "I put his hat on him." Ussop answered, hiding a very obvious laugh. Chopper sat up and had to clap his hoof over his mouth to keep from waking anyone. Luffy looked to be chewing on the top of his hat.

"!" Chopper quickly squeaked before he could laugh.

- _The next afternoon _-

Almost like he could do nothing else, Zoro lifted weights. That's all he'd been able to do all morning. He wasn't hungry, and Chopper didn't need help with Luffy, and he couldn't conjure up even the simplest of activities that he would normally do on some of their longer trips. He couldn't think of anything to entertain his mind, even though that was what he needed most in the world.

He wasn't sure how it came to be, but, just napping on the deck was _boring_. Zoro had a feeling he was getting jittery with how long they've been at sea, (it felt like at least a few weeks, but, it was more like one week), and he didn't like it. Jittery wasn't a good look on him, because his temper was worse when he yearned to walk on dry land, over dirt and grass and stone.

Zoro let out an irritated growl. He was thinking too much about things that may well be out of his reach for days. He should be downstairs keeping an eye on the Captain, as everyone else was otherwise occupied with dumb things that were almost counter-productive. Well, Chopper was studying, so, that wasn't counter-productive. Robin and Nami were just reading. Reading. That pissed him off a little, but, whatever. He wasn't going to talk to those conniving witches just to tell them they shouldn't be reading. Ussop was being a little bit mopey at Sanji in the kitchen. Zoro could tell he was lonely without his main partner in mischief, but, that just made him more annoying.

Why, on this exciting sea, with millions of things to do, was he so damn bored? They had several very exciting, though in a bad way, things happen during that particular venture, so, surely Zoro should be comfortably bored, but, he wasn't. It was very irritating that a calm, beautiful, rather eventless day should be boring.

"Hey!" He may have spoken too soon. "Hey, does anyone else _see_ that?"

Everyone seems to emerge onto the foredeck, (except for Luffy, of course, who is on _strict_ bed rest). Nami must have looked up from her damned papers for a long moment to spot it; a rather small expanse of green-ish grey in the distance, sitting on the water. A typical sighting, one they've seen in similar situations, loads of times. But it was awesome.

"That's- There's an island on the horizon, so, drop what you're doing at get your ass in gear!" Nami shouted. "We're going to try and get there before dark!" _The timing on this is kinda weird._ Zoro thought, entering the storage room and leaving his weights on the floor. He could get back to those later. For now, he had slightly more exciting, slightly more aggravating, things to do.

"_Sanji, where the hell are you? Get out here and help!"_ Nami's obnoxious voice called. The cook almost rolled his eyes. Almost. He was busy, of course, so, it wasn't that he had bad manners, because he didn't. He was a gentleman, but, gentlemen can be busy with things other than sexy, gorgeous, bossy, beautiful, loud, picturesque women, right? "I'll be right there~!"

Nope.

Sanji dog-eared the page in his book, though he was sure he'd remember it. He wrote the damn thing, after all. He'd read through the whole thing at least once before, so, it wouldn't take much to have the memories surface.

The cook jumped right into the scrambling on deck. _Everyone always gets so excited_, he observes. Despite how panicked-looking everyone would seem from a distance, they were all smiling and laughing. A hundred times, a thousand times, Sanji didn't care. If they were like that every time, all would be right in the world.

From below, Sanji could hear Luffy complaining about wanting to come up and see the island. "_I can rest while I sit on Merry's head!_" He argued. Whoever was reasoning with him below, (Chopper, Sanji guessed), was too quiet to hear, but, a moment later, Luffy was whining again.

To his surprise, Sanji was relieved to hear Luffy whining. It wasn't a sound he particularly enjoyed, but, it was better than having him ill and bedridden. How many days had it been since he'd regularly seen the Captain up and about, healthy as a horse? Far too many to not be concerned about. Well, honestly, it had probably only been a few days; they just felt incredibly long.

"Woah! The wind is really picking up!" Ussop observed, pulling back against a rope attached to one of the sails. His position looked a bit precarious, but, for once, the sniper wasn't complaining. Well, until one of his feet slipped. "GYAH! S-s-s-somebody g-g-g-g-get me d-down!"

Sanji laughed, shaking his head. He took a step towards the ladder, but, Robin stopped him. "I'll help Sniper-san, Cook-san." She said, smiling. Sanji wanted to object, but, Robin had already sprouted five or six arms to hold Ussop in place. He gave her a worried look, but, she continued to smile. _Apparently, she thinks she's well enough to help_, Sanji thought. _I suppose I'll let her be the judge of that..._

"Secure that damn thing so we can actually get help from this wind!" Nami ordered, pointing behind herself at Ussop while she spied the island through her binoculars. "Sanji-kun, get the other one!" She called, roughly gesturing towards the other side of the main sail.

"Yes, sir~!" Sanji saluted, even though Nami couldn't see it, and proceeded in his role.

"Zoro! Keep your eyes peeled!" Nami shouted.

"You're the one with the binoculars..." Zoro mumbled.

"Well, now I'm steering, so, come get these and keep watch!" Nami tossed the heavy binoculars at Zoro as she passed him and made a bee line for the helm.

Zoro mumbled his curses as he stalked over to the ladder and climbed up into the crow's nest. "Ah... there's a huge port... Are those birds? I can see them from this far out..." Zoro fairly shouted his findings, though he'd only been watching for a moment.

"Are you kidding? Let me see that!" Sanji snatched the binoculars away from Zoro and peered through them. Luckily, Zoro hadn't been wearing the strap around his neck at the time. He observed the cook, who was hanging on to the edge of the crow's nest with one hand and leaning forward. "Nah, those can't be birds. For one, they aren't really moving that much... I don't know what they could be, though." Sanji said, frowning and leaning forward just a bit more. Zoro hadn't realized he was staring until a single blue orb was looking at him, and he heard Sanji ask, "What?"

Zoro's mouth frowned, but, his eyes and brow weren't particularly frown-ish. He didn't say anything, instead just taking the binoculars back and turned to check if anything was approaching from a direction, one, preferably, where Sanji was not.

What the hell was that?

****Zoro thought to himself, fighting off the urge to bang his head against the mast. Really, there was no need for him to act so damn strange. What had come over him? He didn't know. Perhaps he could blame it on the cook? It was, after all, always his fault. Zoro would just have to find a way to counter whatever the cook had done, (had he put something in his food?), but, later, when he wasn't stuck with a very important job. A very important job that happened to be much needed, just then.****

"What the fuck is that?" Zoro yelled, watching giant wave form behind the Merry.

"What's going- oh my-! You don't need binoculars to see _that!"_ Ussop screeched, pointing at the wave that was growing before their eyes. "Oh, dear, it seems I've just come down with the incredibly dangerous can't-work-while-being-watched-by-a-giant-dangerous-wave disease!" The sniper then melted dramatically against the edge of the crow's nest, clinging for dear life.

"I don't think that's a wave, Sniper-san." Robin observed, narrowing her eyes slightly at the 'wave'. "Even worse!" Ussop shouted.

Suddenly, a sound reminiscent of one's stomach growling, except ten-thousand times louder, echoed all around them, shaking the ship and everyone on it. Oh, no, that was most certainly _not_ a wave. Most of the water spilled away with the bellowing sound, only to reveal a similarly-colored, fuzzy-looking mass.

The mass turned around to face the ship, sniffing with a non-existent snout to the air. Wide eyes with small black irises stared at the sail, blinking slowly. "Errrrnnnk?" The creature grumbled, its voice covering up most of Ussop's super-manly shriek.

"Don't make me come out there!" Nami yelled, pointing a finger out the open door of the galley specifically at Sanji. "Yes, Nami-swaaaan~ I'll make you a wonderful snack of this small dilemma!" Sanji called wriggling and spouting hearts.

"_Make me come up there! Puuuh~leeeeease! I just wanna kick some ass, and then I'll-!"_

"I'VE TOLD YOU NO A MILLION TIMES ALREADY LUFFY, ARE YOU GOING TO

****MAKE_ ME SAY IT AGAIN?"_****

Sanji laughed at the Captain's animosity and Chopper's not-so-much-anymore patience as he jumped down from the rigging. Oh, indeed, he would be making a lovely snack from this odd creature. _A Sea King, no doubt,_ Sanji noted, smiling to himself. This was going to be a piece of cake.

The cook crouched low and leaped up with enough strength to be eye-level with the enormous, fluffy creature. He spun around quickly in the air, hitting it with the heel of his shoe. The impact should have hurt even Sanji, it was so fast. He could hear it, even before it connected. But, he didn't feel much of anything.

His leg sank through the plush, and surprisingly dry for having been underwater, blue fur. "Errrnk?" The creature honked, narrowing its buggish eyeballs at Sanji when he cursed. "It's just a fucking fluff ball!" Sanji shouted, as the surface of the creature's body, beneath all the fur, jiggled and he rebounded off of it, after being submersed entirely in the thing's fur.

Sanji landed on the deck much the way he originally left it, crouching slightly. Everyone was relatively silent after just witnessing, perhaps, the strangest thing they'd see all day. They stared at the creature, most everyone giving it the 'are you for real?' look. Because, that couldn't be a serious Sea King. No. Serious Sea Kings had bad attitudes, sharp teeth, and scaly bodies and, you know, not so much fluffiness.

"Should I, uh... fight it?" Sanji questioned. _"Let MEEEEE, dammit!"_ Luffy screamed, followed by a faint sneeze. Hopefully, Chopper was concocting something to put Luffy to sleep because, as amusing as it was that he kept yelling to be let in on the action, it was getting a little annoying.

"Nnngerk." The creature honked, swiveling its body to face the ship. Tiny arms appeared out of the creature's belly and it wave it's clawed hand at them in greeting.

"It's... friendly?" Ussop mumbled.

"_It said 'thank you'!_" Chopper called up.

"Why would it say 'thank you'?" Zoro questioned.

Robin hummed thoughtfully, looking around.

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Maybe you _don't_ understand every animal, Chopper?" Sanji suggested, slightly annoyed. Why would some fluffy Sea Queen thank them?

"Uuhrrrnnnnk!"

"_He says I understood him just fine, and that we saved him!"_

"From what?"

The very ocean seemed to shake, wracking through Merry's core and knocking over anyone who might have been standing. It was particularly bad for Zoro and Ussop, who fell from the crow's nest and rolled like logs across the foredeck. Robin had to catch them with a bunch of arms before they bowled her over.

Luffy and Chopper could be heard scrambling below deck as Nami fell out of the galley and against the guardrail, squatting down to avoid falling over the edge. "Nami-san!" Sanji reached out to her, though he was a good four feet away, towards the edge of the ship. "What the hell is going on?" Nami screamed, clinging to the rails until her knuckles were white and the map she was holding was completely crushed in the middle.

"_He said he's gotta go, and good luck!"_ Chopper called, sounding a bit different from earlier. A bit wary, if Sanji had to say. "What the hell?"

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the fluffy creature dove back into the depths of the ocean, causing a massive wave to slam into the back of the ship, tipping it ferociously forward. Merry's nose dipped into the water and almost didn't fall back when the current doubled back and pushed on the bow.

All the while, everyone had stiffened into place, holding onto whatever they could not to fall. "_Gah! Luffy!"_ Chopper screamed. Everything on the ship was hitting something else, making even more noise in addition to the wails of despair coming from Nami and Ussop.

The Merry was rocking back and forth on the seemingly restless waves as Chopper called for help. "_Whoever's closest, please?"_ He shouted, frantic but trying to keep a level head. Nami steadied herself on the deck enough to crawl over to and through the storage room door. "Take care of this mess!" She called behind herself.

Trying to get his bearings, Zoro looked around. Robin was fine, Ussop was clinging to his leg; so, he would soon be _less_ fine, Nami was okay, Chopper sounded fine, God he hoped Luffy was fine. The only one Zoro couldn't account for was out of sight and silent as the grave. For once, that automatic head-count he did each time something happened seemed to be useful.

"Sanji." Zoro didn't want to question the other's presence on the ship, so, he sounded as if he were ordering Sanji to appear.

"Ugh, shit." Sanji cursed quietly, using the railing to lift himself up. "What?" He grumbled, holding his head. He must've hit it on something, because he was really getting dizzy. He couldn't quite see straight, but, he could definitely see Zoro looking at him. "Damn. I thought you fell overboard or somethin'." Zoro taunted.

"You don't get that lucky." Sanji snorted, standing on unsteady legs. He braced himself against the railing again, blinking to try and clear his vision. Once he could see straight, Robin called for his attention. "Cook-san, are you alright?" She asked, standing with considerable ease.

Sanji nodded, though it felt like his head was going to split open when he did. "Yeah... I think I just... hit my head or something. Are _you_ okay?" Sanji asked, watching Robin's expression change the tiniest bit. She smiled and nodded once. Then, she looked to Ussop who was curled in on himself, mumbling something that sounded like 'am I dead?'

"I believe Sniper-san needs a rest, though." Robin noted, making no move to help him. Sanji shrugged. "He can rest right there, I guess."

Zoro let out a noisy breath and stepped over Ussop. He didn't say anything as he climbed up the steps and opened the door to the storage room. It looked like a war zone. Crates and barrels of anything and everything were strewn across the floor, most certainly not in their original places, and some of them were broken. "Shit."

Without another word, Zoro set to putting everything back in its place and cleaning up the contents of some of the broken boxes. Sanji and Robin shared a look. "Something's up." Sanji said, asking for Robin's opinion without asking. She nodded. "Indeed." She said, and Sanji could swear there was a hint of a smile on her face. Though, he couldn't guess as to why she would be smiling.

Noticing Sanji's continued stare, Robin spoke to herself, "I wonder what the kitchen looks like?" And Sanji stared no more, instead rushing to the kitchen, cursing under his breath. The place was ruined. All his utensils and ingredients that he kept in the kitchen were all over the place, some maybe even went out the portholes. _Fucking great._ Sanji thought, growling a bit at the broken plates and glasses in the floor. It'd take ages to clean that up.

Starting the first of 'ages', Sanji grabbed the big pieces of glass, the ones that looked like they could be fixed, out of the jumble of colorful shatters. There was a surprising amount of nearly-whole dishes, most of which were now in the sink waiting to be washed and then glued. It had only taken a few minutes to gather up all the big pieces and that got Sanji's spirits up. As he stepped towards the broom, however, Sanji's spirits sank below their previous depth.

Through a porthole on the right side of the kitchen, Sanji saw a shadow by the edge of the ship. A large, wavering form in the water that grew as he watched it. "Everyone!" Sanji called, his shoes crunching the glass beneath them as he stalked out of the kitchen. He gravitated to the spot where he saw the shadow as the crew began surfacing from their various tasks.

"What's going on?" More than one asked.

"There's something under us." Sanji answered, eyes widening at the shadow that was at least twice Merry's size and still growing.

"Woah! Is that another Sea King?" Nami yelled and Ussop's limp body wailed something akin to refusal. "Shit, it's getting closer." Zoro looked towards the front of the ship. The shadow of a creature stretched out far beyond the bow.

Robin, from wherever she was that Sanji couldn't see her, spoke; "Is it possible that the previous Sea King... was thanking us for saving it from a greater one?" Ussop wailed again at hearing that.

"That could be right..." Sanji mumbled. It probably was, because Robin said it and it made sense, but, Sanji could get the words to line up in his head. He just stared at the billowing shadow, blinking occasionally, trying to arrange his thoughts enough to caution everyone of the creature beneath the ship. He didn't have a chance to, however, before the ship rumbled from top to bottom.

The low sounds seeped up through the bottoms of Sanji's shoes and into his bones, it felt like, shaking his already jumbled mind and causing him to lose his balance a bit. He clapped his hands hard to the rails to keep from falling over. "_What the hell is going on up there?"_ Chopper screamed, sounding not too far from being 'up there' as well.

The rumbling got louder just then, and a couple shouts of surprise and discomfort came from behind Sanji. He couldn't turn around to see them or truly distinguish any voices from the horrible noise, but, whichever Nakama it was was trying really hard not to hear anything but their own voice. That was the most counter-productive thing to do, Sanji thought.

"That's a battle cry!" Chopper called over the deafening rumble, suddenly on the stairs helping Nami stand. _Shit, Robin was right._ Sanji thought, finally, shaking uncontrollably as the rumble became much higher pitched and much louder.

Accompanied by the massive sounds of water meeting water, the ship ascended so quickly that everyone was immediately brought to the deck in heaps. Zoro tried to stand, but the force nearly broke his bones. It felt like he was trapped under an entire ocean, crushing him and compressing his lungs until there was no room for air.

Nearly to the point of unconsciousness, the pressure is suddenly gone from the Straw hats and gasping breaths are the only sound for a while. "What... the he-... ll isunderus!" Zoro gasped, standing slowly in case his previously-flattened muscles decided to give out. As the others started trying to stand as well, Zoro stumbled to the edge of the ship and looked down.

Beneath the ship was a blindingly lime-colored expanse of skin, going down what could have been hundreds of feet before disappearing into the water. "Holy. Fucking. Shit." Zoro gawked, watching the green creature breathe in and out. Robin stood up next to him after a bit and looked down at the creature. "It would seem that we're atop the head of a Sea King." She observed.

"Well, that's not too different." Nami sighed, still gathering her wits on the stairs.

Suddenly, Chopper jumped up with a squeak and rushed back down into the storage room, kicking aside random objects as he went. He had completely forgotten about Luffy for all of twenty seconds, and in that time his lungs could have been crushed. "_Robin!_" He called behind himself.

Robin hurried after Chopper without a word, leaving everyone else to worry and to deal with the creature they were on top of.

Nami groaned and rubbed her face with both hands. "Okay... how should we go about this?" She asked, mostly to herself. "Kill it? Just push the ship off its head? Get it to go back down? Gah!" Nami messed up her hair in frustration and stalked over to the edge of the ship opposite Zoro. "Anybody else got any ideas?"

"We could give up all hope of normalcy..." Ussop mumbled, finally sitting up with a little trouble.

"This _is_ normal for us." Zoro said, pulling out one of his swords and poking at the green creature. Unexpectedly, it made a 'clink' sound, like metal against metal. Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Scales?"

"Do you really think cutting it would help, Zoro?" Nami asked, sounding slightly hopeful

Zoro considered for a moment, and then shrugged. "Why don't we find out?"

"Nonononono! At least wait until Chopper and Robin are done helping Luffy, okay?" The navigator waved her hands frantically. Zoro's nonchalant tone scared her.

When Zoro conceded and sat down, Nami sighed. "Thank you. Besides, the thing isn't even moving, so, we should be fine for now." She said, checking the Log Pose and sighing again. They were so close and yet so far. _Why is my life so difficult?_

"Ne..." Ussop began, frowning and looking around. "Where's Sanji?"

"He was just over... here..." Nami looked around her mikan bushes and in the kitchen, but the cook was nowhere to be seen. "He was _just_ standing here!" She repeated, over and over.

Zoro stood from his seat and crossed the deck to about where Nami was standing. It was so close to the railing... _No. Fucking. Way._ Zoro leaned over the edge as far as he could without falling out and tried to see around the big, obnoxious, green monster. Floating in the water a few yards away from the Sea King, Zoro could see a black figure and a patch of yellow. "He fell off...!"

"He WHAT? Let me see!" Nami slammed against the railing beside Zoro, stretching as far as she could to try and get a better look. "Oh my God... SANJI-KUUUUN! Can you hear me?" Nami yelled. "It looks like he's face-down! Oh my G- Zoro! What are you still doing here? Get down there and help him!"

Normally Zoro would have argued, but, it did look like Sanji was face-down and he wasn't moving. "Fine." Zoro handed her his swords, took off his boots and climbed over the edge of the railing. He dropped down onto the slippery, hard surface of the Sea King with a light thud and, with only a second's pause for consideration, Zoro dove off the enormous beast towards the choppy waters.

The impact was less than pleasant, stinging at small wounds he'd received only a short time ago and robbing him of breath, but he landed relatively close to Sanji. When he surfaced, he could hear Nami and Ussop shouting, though it sounded more like whispers.

"_Hurry and turn him over or he'll drown!_" Ussop called. Zoro growled and swam as quickly as he could in Sanji's direction. There were tears in his jacket and Zoro could see small cuts all over him. It should be stinging like hell, but the only movements Sanji made were caused by the waves.

"Oi! Shithead! What are you doing falling off the ship like that?" Zoro grumbled, grabbing Sanji's arm and pulling it over his shoulders. The cook didn't show any signs of having heard him.

"_Lift his face up out of the water, baka!" _Nami shouted. _That's what I'm trying to do, witch!_ Zoro cursed to himself as he held Sanji's arm in place with one hand and lifted his head from the water with the other. "You some kind of retard or something? Wake up!" Zoro shook the blonde's head with his hand. Nami and Ussop were shouting questions at him 'is he breathing?' 'is he okay?', but Zoro ignored them.

"What the hell? You'd have to be an idiot to drown so easily!" Zoro growled. Sanji's face was paler than normal and he wasn't breathing. "Hey! Just wake up already!" He yelled, shaking Sanji as best he could while they were in the ocean.

"_Zoro, maybe there's water in his lungs?"_

"You need to pat his back or something so he can breathe!"

Zoro wanted to tell them to shut up, but his mind wasn't working right. He had to get Sanji to breathe before he could cuss out Dumb and Dumber. He rested Sanji's head against his shoulder and used his free hand to pat the other's back. With every passing second, Zoro used a little more force, hoping that that was the only reason Sanji wasn't coughing up the seawater yet.

"_Zoro, what's going on_?" Ussop asked. Zoro didn't even look at him. He was too focused on trying to get Sanji to breathe, maybe even regain consciousness. "Come on. Come on!"

Sanji suddenly gasped and started coughing out way more water than Zoro thought was possible. "Oi, cook! You done being weak, now?" Zoro asked, not as menacing as he had meant to. Sanji's eyes opened slowly and he groaned. "Wha-" He coughed up some more water before turning to Zoro. "What... happ- *cough* happened?"

He looked impossibly pitiful, face drained of all color, eyes expressing confusion and mildly registering pain. He looked up and around, at the Sea King, at the ship, and his eyes widened. "Shit, I fell." Sanji groaned, frowning. He looked up again and smiled weakly. "Everything's okay, Nami-saaaaaaan~!" He called, as loud as his voice would let him.

"_Don't ever do that again, you stupid idiot!_" Nami screamed. She turned around and both she and Ussop disappeared from view.

Sanji lifted his hand from the water and rubbed his forehead. "Damn..." His head felt as if it would split in two and float away on the sea. He couldn't remember exactly how he fell, but, he knew it must have been bad. His head had felt foggy before he fell, but this was far worse.

"Don't tell me one little fall is enough to kill you?" Zoro taunted. Sanji could hear the smirk in his voice, but, he had his eyes closed in hopes of dulling the pain. "You wish!" He snapped, wincing at the pain brought on by his own volume.

Before Zoro could comment on his obvious incapacitation, a bellowing roar distressed the waves and seemed cause the whole world to shake. Sanji yelped and pulled his arm from around Zoro's shoulders so he could hold his head in both hands. He sank a little at first, but he couldn't stop himself from trying to hold his head together.

"Hey!" Zoro must have been yelling pretty loud because Sanji could hear him over the Sea King. "What's wrong?"

Sanji shook his head. "We need to get to the ship!" Sanji shouted. Zoro shook his head and opened his mouth in an expression Sanji could only put to 'huh?' "We need to get to the ship!" Sanji repeated, a little bit louder. Zoro made another version of his confused face and Sanji rolled his eyes. He pointed to the ship and Zoro nodded, finally understanding.

The beast halted in its roar as quickly as it had started, causing Zoro's and Sanji's ears to ring. That only stopped them for a moment before they were swimming towards the Sea King. Neither one of them had an idea as to how they would get back to the ship straight up hundreds of yards of slick green Sea King, but a good start, they both decided, was being closer to it instead of drifting out any further.

Sanji had a difficult time swimming as he slowly realized how uncomfortable salt water was on wounds. He didn't even know how he got most of the cuts and scratches but they were stinging like a mother.

Within a few feet of the Sea King, Zoro noticed something. Against the shiny green scales was a long, long rope with knots tied in it every so often, no doubt to hide the fact that it was several different ropes. He looked up to see Ussop and Chopper in his big form holding onto the other end. They waved at him until he was too close to the Sea King to see the ship on top.

"Hey, shit-cook! They dropped a rope for us, so, hurry up!" Zoro said, tagging the side of the Sea King.

"I'm hurrying." Sanji stated, without any real attitude behind it. He didn't want to risk aggravating his headache again.

Zoro watched the cook swim up next to him and rolled his eyes. "You go first." Zoro said, grabbing the end of the rope and putting in Sanji's hand. The cook eyed him suspiciously. "Whyyyy?"

"Because Nami and Robin are waiting to see if you're o-"

"Nami-saaaa~n! Robin-chaaaa~n! I'm on my way!" Sanji called up, much too energetic to still be the same Sanji as he was two seconds ago.

Sanji tugged on the rope to make sure it was secured, which it was, and started climbing using the Sea King's side as footholds. He wasn't but two feet out of the water when he looked over his shoulder at Zoro. "Thanks." He said calmly, before turning back to the task at hand and hurrying up to see his 'lovely flowers'.

Zoro gawked. He wanted to say something, to start something about Sanji being so different all of a sudden, but he knew that wouldn't be smart. Not only because the cook was already fully out of the water and could easily heel-drop Zoro's head and leave him as good as drowned, but because he actually appreciated being thanked. It was quite the boost to have someone as prideful as Sanji say 'thanks'.

In no time, Sanji had climbed up to the ship and called down to Zoro that he could start climbing. The swordsman started up faster than Sanji had, quickly getting to half-way point, where he could hear Chopper chattering on about something in his lecture voice. He tried to focus his ears on the small voice, but everyone else's mixed in and covered up his words. Perhaps they were all talking about equally important things, but Zoro always found it interesting to listen when Chopper felt the need to lecture someone seriously.

"Gohuuuuuuuuuu~!" The Sea King's scales vibrated with the deep sound that left the creature, causing Zoro's feet to slip from its surface. He fell against the Sea King forcefully, earning small cuts on his left arm from the sharp-scaled body.

Everyone on deck sounded to be in a panic, even though they were _on deck_ and not hanging off the side of a _Sea King_ by a flimsy rope. "Are you guys gonna pull me up, or what?" Zoro shouted, hopefully loud enough to be heard over the multiple 'gohuuu's being hollered by the Sea King that was beginning to thrash in the water, causing waves that were almost high enough to reach Zoro.

Moments after he'd said it, the rope was yanked up violently and he rose up to the sail before falling back down and landing with a graceless 'thunk', (not to mention a weird sound of surprise), on his back just two feet inside the ship. Chopper hurried over to him and apologized profusely, asked him if he was hurt, then went about following the orders being spouted by Nami.

"And, you!" Nami shouted, pointing at Zoro. He stood and glared at her, raising his chin slightly to show that he was listening. "Good job. Now, quit you're dallying and get to work! We've got a plan!" Nami announced, showing a mischievous grin.

Zoro couldn't help the matching grin that crossed his face. He collected his swords off the deck beside him, mentally berating Nami for leaving them there, and secured them to his *haramaki. "What's the plan?"

"Simple, really. All you have to do is kill it in just the right way so that the ship doesn't crash into the sea. Got it?" Nami narrowed her eyes at Zoro. He didn't get it. How was he supposed to bring down something that big without causing the ship to break in some way?

As Zoro was about to question her on what the plan really was, Ussop appeared in the hatchway to the men's room. "Okay, it's all secured. Are we really going through with this?"

"Yep! We have to if we're going to get to that island before night fall!" Nami said, nodding. "Make sure Chopper's prepared! Zoro, what are you waiting for? Get ready to start making this thing really move!"

"What the hell did you guys discuss while I was down there?" Zoro groaned as he was shooed off the ship again and onto the quickly-drying Sea King. The creature kept uttering increasingly horrid sounds, shivering a bit more with each sound.

"_It wonders where it's 'prey' went!_" Chopper announced, sounding to be below deck. After a moment, he called out, "_It says it's really annoyed!_"

"We could tell, Chopper." Zoro called.

"_EH? How?"_

"Never mind that! Just brace yourselves!" Nami shouted.

Zoro knew she didn't mean him, so he stood completely at ease, testing to see if his swords could break the creature's scales. When the surprisingly small green scales cracked under minimal pressure, he grinned. The incredibly vague plan that he had been told of was starting to sound like it would be fun. Far too easy. But, fun.

"Everyone ready?" Zoro called, paying small respect to their little back-and-forth about being prepared.

"One second! Robin?... Okay, Sanji-kun?... Ussop? Good! Alright!" Zoro had to assume that the breaks were where the respective Nakama were nodding their answers. "Okay, you two! Try not to jostle it too much! Just beat it downwards, if you can!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. He kept an eye on the Sea King as he drew two swords. He was about to jump back so he could clearly slash it through the middle, but the Sea King seemed to think of that before he did, and it threw its head back, sliding the ship, as well as Zoro, down it's back.

"What the fuck?" Zoro yelled, trying to catch himself. The scales were shredding his clothes, as well as his skin, and he couldn't stop on such a steep decline.

Arms sprouted from the Sea King's back and inter-locked themselves into a ramp in front of the ship. Zoro glared at the arms wondering why Robin didn't just push them off herself. She could easily grow a limb-parachute or something and they'd be safe, and Zoro would have fewer cuts. _Damn witch!_

He jammed his swords into the creature's back in an attempt to slow himself down because he sure as _hell_ did not want to go on the Robin Ramp. The Sea King wailed painfully loud, shaking its head violently.

"_It says 'OWWWWW'!_" Chopper called helpfully, just as the ship turned up the ramp at an incredible speed and flew out away from the Sea King. Suddenly, it occurred to Zoro that he was stranded on a giant, angry, bleeding Sea King.

"HEY!" He turned over so that his stomach was against the Sea King's back and slashed outwards. "What the hell kind of plan is this?"

The Sea King let out one last shriek before it faded into a gurgle and the nearly-headless creature lay still in the water with Zoro standing on its back. The ship was skidding along the surface of the water, bouncing comically before settling into the waves.

A tan string of arms extended towards Zoro, which was quite a good distance given that the Sea King was hardly any smaller in death, holding a rope and a piece of paper. Zoro frowned, taking the piece of paper. '_Tie it up and bring it with you! We don't have all day! Forgive me, it is Navigator-san's message.'_

He ripped the paper up into small pieces and threw them over his shoulder into the ocean. "Don't have all day... ya fuckin' witch..." Zoro grumbled curses as he tied one end of the rope to the hilt of one of his swords. He shoved the blade into the Sea King so it was good and secure, then dove into the water holding the other end of the rope.

It took an annoyingly long amount of time to swim under the creature, but he managed to do it in one breath. Once he surfaced on the other side, he noticed that Robin's arm-extension was holding another piece of paper, this time so he could read it without taking it. '_What's taking so long? Hurry up, its afternoon already! Don't forget that you owe me! Navigator-san is quite impatient..._'

Zoro hurriedly climbed back up the side of the creature and tied the rope to itself tightly, reclaiming his sword in the process. He held the end in his right hand and took a deep breath. "IT'S TIED!" He yelled, sure that anyone within fifty miles could hear him. Robin's arms retracted with haste. Zoro couldn't see what was going on aboard the ship, but, he could tell no one was paying attention to him.

"_YOU BETTER HOLD ON TIGHT_!"

Zoro frowned. _Was that Luffy?_ He thought, squinting to try and see if the Captain really was up and about. All he could see was what looked like another of Robin's arm-extensions. _Wait a second... Oh, shit!_

He was grabbed by the front of his shirt and, in the time before he was jerked forward, Zoro grasped the rope with both hands. "_THIS_ IS THE PLAN?" Zoro shouted as the ship grew rapidly in his sights.

"No, I missed you!" Luffy laughed, suddenly very visible on the ship.

Zoro let go of the rope a few seconds before his face connected with the main mast. He could feel the ship rocking on the wave created by the Sea King, but for the love of all that was good and holy, Zoro did not want to open his eyes, for fear of killing the Captain.

"Oi, Zoro! Didn't you miss me? Woah! That'll be a lot of lunches!" Luffy's voice was so obnoxious. Zoro wanted to punch him, but, generally, attacking sick people is frowned upon. "Luuuuffyyyy? Aren't you supposed to be siiiiick?" Zoro asked, in a less-than-friendly tone. Luffy stopped running towards the dead Sea King and looked over his shoulder at Zoro. "Yeah, but, I feel fine!"

As if on cue, Luffy fell forward and began to snore. "Ah! Luffy, don't fall asleep out here! You'll catch cold!" Chopper squeaked. Zoro got up and helped Chopper by taking Luffy down to the men's room, after Nami told him that Luffy was no longer welcome in her room.

When Zoro got back up on deck, he had to try hard to drown out Nami's optimistic babbling. "-goes for a fortune! Of course, we'll keep half, or whatever was _damaged_, _Zoro_. But, we can probably sell most of it! And, then I need some new-" He really hated her voice. The others were talking, too, but, he wasn't going to try and keep up with conversation. Everyone was just excited, he wasn't missing anything.

All he really wanted to do was take a nap.

***Haramaki - It's his waistband! The big green one! You didn't know?**

**Sort of a weird stopping point, right? I think I'm developing a habit for those. Oh, well. What's going on with Sanji? Is Luffy getting any better? What is the island going to be like? And what in God's name does that _Sea King_ taste like?**

**Hahaha. Sorry, Zoro-chan, I didn't mean to shred you, really! xD**

**Please review!**


	7. Land, at Last!

**This is a quick update for me, I know! This chapter is mostly just filler, development of the island as I like to think of it. Anyway, there are some good developments of the Zoro and Sanji-ness as well! At least, I think so.**

**Enjoy!**

"-ro!"

He frowned. Someone was being obnoxiously loud. Again. He could usually sleep through it, so, he was going to give it his best.

"-eave him here al-?"

"-watch. I have t-"

"-f he's sick, too?"

Zoro groaned, fighting not to reposition himself. He was sitting up against a wall out in the open, near Nami's mikans by the smell of it. He couldn't remember where he fell asleep, and he wasn't going to open his eyes to find out.

"-oo dumb to get sick."

"-not nice, Sa-"

The deck vibrated slightly, alerting him to someone approaching him. It wasn't clacky like one of the women, or light like Chopper. It wasn't flip-flops, and it didn't sound clumsy like Ussop. _Damn._ Zoro was toying with the idea of slicing the disturbance away with 'Three-sword style; let me fucking sleep', but, he couldn't quite put the plan in order before the footsteps stopped a few feet short of his position.

"Oi." The cook's voice was quiet, almost as if he was trying not to disturb Zoro. "We're almost in the port. You staying here?"

Zoro ignored him; just in case there was a chance he hadn't noticed that he was already awake. Seeing as Sanji didn't leave, Zoro figured it hadn't worked, but he was still playing possum. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. You've got watch and sick patrol, then."

His arm twitched. _I'm fucking asleep! You can't stick me with chores while I'm asleep!_ He tried to telepathically communicate with the cook, or anyone really, begging not to be stuck with the ship when he missed dry land beyond belief.

Sanji laughed suddenly, quietly. "Gonna help me with the shopping, then, Marimo?" Silence. "Leaving it up to me?" Irked silence. "Okay," Smirked at silence. "Hey-!"

"Okay, okay, fine! Just shut up!" Zoro grumbled, effectively shooshing Sanji. He didn't want to know what the cook had been about to yell, but, he knew it would doom any chance at peace he had for as long as they were at that island. "I don't wanna be stuck with the ship." Zoro stated, opening one eye enough to see the cook grinning.

Sanji nodded. "Good. 'Cause Chopper's staying here and he asked me to get some medicine stuff for him while I'm out. I'll need someone to help carry those." He turned on his heel, and walked away. "Hurry up, baka-Marimo!"

"Oh, you're both going shopping?" Nami asked. Sanji looked at her and smiled. "Yep! Is there anything you need while we're out?"

"No, thanks. I'll be going out, too, to get various things." Nami said, shaking her head and examining a page in the book she was holding. "But, Ussop's staying here to repair the ship, so ask him if he needs anything." She said, waving Sanji away with one hand and holding her book up higher with the other.

"_I do need some stuff!"_ Ussop called from below deck. The hatch to the men's room opened and a hand holding a folded piece of paper emerged. "Here's a list. Thanks!" Ussop said, before Sanji even took the paper from him. The cook kicked the hatch shut, and Ussop howled.

Sanji unfolded the paper and read through the list. It was mostly things he recognized. Wood and nails and such. But, there were pictures drawn beside names he didn't know. "What the hell is this...? Pipes? And, why'd you draw a bottle of Tabasco! I know what _that_ is!"

"_Ahahahowowow! Good luck!_" Ussop shouted. Sanji cursed him and his long nose as he stomped over to the edge of the ship where the ladder was. He looked back and saw that Zoro wasn't following him. "Nami-swan, please forgive me in advance~!" Sanji cooed. "And, you might like to plug your ears."

Nami barely blinked before she put down her book on the railing and covered her ears with her hands. "Okay. Thank you for the advance warning, Sanji-kun!" Nami said, smiling briefly before turning back to her book. Sanji smiled and nodded at her, though she was no longer paying attention.

"Ma-ri-mo-kuuuuun..." Sanji called, his voice dripping with a sinister tone. "GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!"

"Or, what?" Zoro's voice was challenging and curious at the same time.

"Or, ya don't get fed, shitty-swordsman."

A not-so-subtle stream of curses was directed at Sanji as the swordsman finally stood, crossed the deck and jumped off the side of the ship onto the creaky wood of the docks. Sanji rolled his eyes at the display and waved over his shoulder at Nami. "I'll be back in an hour or two, My Lovely~!"

"Okay. No hurry, though, we're gonna be stuck here for a few days." Nami said, setting down her book and waving. Sanji smiled a lewd smile at her before climbing down the ladder, list in hand.

He looked at Zoro who was walking away grumbling to himself. "That's the wrong way, in case you were wondering." Sanji called, smiling to himself when Zoro stood up straighter. "I knew that!"

Sanji laughed and started up the wide paved road towards what was quite obviously a thriving town. "C'mon, baka-Marimo, we've got a long day ahead of us." He called over his shoulder, pulling out the grocery list. Oh, a long day, indeed. Most of their perishable items had done just that; perished. Whether during the storm, or whilst being jostled by the Sea King, more than half of their supplies had been ruined. They were very lucky to have come across an island so soon after the last one.

"Why the hell are we here so early, anyway? I thought we weren't supposed to get here until nightfall." Zoro grumbled, his boots causing an excessive stomping sound as a voiceless defiance of having to go shopping. All he really wanted to do was go for a walk, maybe train in a more remote area. At least if they'd arrived at night, he would've been spared on the shopping until the next morning.

Sanji snorted, walking in front with his hands in his pockets. "Well, I don't know, maybe you were asleep? We kind of _slid from a great height off a Sea King_. That tends to speed things up." Sanji said, sarcastically.

"Maybe _you_ were asleep! I was the one that caused that so, shut the fuck up." Zoro sneered, opting to keep his mouth shut afterwards. To his surprise, the cook didn't retort, though he was beginning to wonder if he should be surprised at anything the blonde did anymore.

Sanji turned his head from side to side, absorbing the lively town in all its glory in the late afternoon light. He smiled at all the attractive women and the various stands stocked full of fresh fruits and vegetables and herbs. "Nami-san said we're going to be here for a few days, so we only need to get enough for tonight and tomorrow's breakfast. And, the stuff that Ussop and Chopper requested."

"Whatever."

"Hmm. Sunny today, aren't we?"

"Shut up!"

Sanji laughed, stopping over at one of the stands and purchasing an arm-full of brightly-colored peppers. Sanji examined the peppers with a satisfied grin on his face. "This'll be great in some sort of stir-fry... Maybe slightly pickled?" He mumbled to himself the potential of a red bell-pepper, quickly starting back on his way.

Zoro watched the cook haggle for some powdered something-or-other next, and then buy a shit-load of apples. It was kind of weird to watch. Zoro likened Sanji's expression to that of a kid in a candy store, even when the person at the stand was giving him a hard time. He was amused, in an odd way, to see the cook so giddy over shopping.

The swordsman shivered. He would never again think that sentence about Sanji. Ever. That was _beyond_ wrong.

"Hey, what do you think of this?" Sanji called, holding up a large, flat mushroom for Zoro to see. Zoro shrugged. "It's a mushroom." He stated, not really understanding. He was supposed to have thoughts about a mushroom? The cook must have mistaken him for someone else.

"No, idiot. Well, yes, it is a mushroom, but, I meant 'do you think it's a good idea to buy some'?" Sanji asked, rolling his eyes. He smirked suddenly, and waved his hand apologetically. "Oh, sorry. I forgot that would be cannibalism for you."

"Why, you-!" Zoro started, but, Sanji cut him off. "You always get so offended by the same insults I use every time. I suppose that saves me the trouble of coming up with new ones, though." Sanji observed, grinning brilliantly.

Zoro faltered. He couldn't think of any comeback even remotely insulting to the cook. Sanji had pretty much insulted himself, anyway, but, Zoro was really trying to come up with something that would piss the cook off and get that stupid grin off his face. But, he couldn't come up with anything before the cook had bought some mushrooms and moved on already.

"We better hurry up," The cook said, handing a couple bags to Zoro. "We've got to get some stuff from an actual store. It's just a bit further inland, according to that *Ossan." He nodded his head in the direction of the mushroom-stand man.

"Understood." Zoro said, looking around. He wasn't sure which way led them further inland... Maybe there were directions at the port? Zoro started off towards where they'd come from, though somehow the docks were long out of sight.

After a minute or two, Zoro noticed Sanji hadn't said anything. He stopped to listen for footsteps following him, but, he heard nothing. Well, no, he heard the hustle and bustle of a busy market, and the distant sound of seagulls and waves. But, he didn't hear the cook.

Zoro turned around and saw Sanji hadn't moved from his spot just past the mushroom stand. Sanji had his back to him, but, Zoro could tell he was holding his head in his hands. He wasn't terribly surprised at that; He'd noticed the cook acting strangely. He didn't know what had happened, but he figured it had something to do with the fall he took, who knows how many meters off a Sea King and into the ocean.

"You okay?" Zoro asked, not really sure what to say. Of course he was worried, if only the smallest of amounts, but he and the cook were never quite on a level where they asked whether or not each other were okay, leastly in a serious way.

Sanji didn't respond, or even acknowledge him. He just stood there with the handles of the shopping bags held by the crook of his left elbow while he rubbed his temples. Zoro groaned. _If he's faking it, heads are gonna roll._

The swordsman relatively stomped back over to Sanji and poked him in the back of the head. "Oi, I asked you if you're okay."

Sanji flinched, turning slowly to glare at Zoro. "Yeah, fine, thanks for asking. Don't frickin' touch me." He grumbled, rubbing at his forehead a moment longer before straightening up and walking in the opposite direction of the port.

"Where the hell are you going?" Zoro asked, narrowing his eyes at Sanji's retreating back in question, although he had already started to follow him.

"This is inland, Baka." Sanji said over his shoulder as he pointed at some houses further up the wide road from them. "We're looking for a place with an old sign that reads 'One-stop Herb-shop', again, according to the mushroom Ossan."

Zoro frowned. "How do you know we can trust that guy?"

"Because he grows medicinal mushrooms and sells them to the people who own that place." Sanji answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"So he said." Zoro said, skeptically. He didn't trust some random mushroom salesman to point them in the right direction without ulterior motives.

"Well, I really don't see the reasoning in lying to a couple of strangers about the location of a medicine shop. Especially since they may be looking for that medicine shop to help with illness and injury within their crew." Sanji stated, offended at Zoro's suspicion of a poor middle-aged man. _The mushroom Ossan was nice!_

"Maybe he's seen the wanted posters? Mine, if not Luffy's. Maybe, he wanted to lure us into a trap?"

"Maybe not everyone is bad! Maybe, not everyone is after us! Stop talking about it, you're pissing me off." Sanji snapped, stomping away from Zoro.

"What the hell? Pissy princess!" Zoro shouted, making no effort to catch up with Sanji.

The blonde ignored him and was soon over a hill and out of sight. He didn't understand why Sanji was so ticked off, but, it was beyond annoying. To believe he was worried about that asshole! Well, not excessively. No. He wasn't worried. Never mind.

Wait a second…

Zoro looked around himself, standing completely still in the middle of the road, with two arms full of groceries. "Where am I?"

The shop had dusty windows, a ratty welcome mat, chipping paint and a broken sign. However, a piece of cardboard taped over the broken sign exposed the identity of the store. '_One-stop Herb-shop'_.

Sanji stared at the un-impressive square building, silently doubting that they would have all that Chopper wanted. An old woman was sweeping dust off the small sidewalk leading up to the store's front steps, humming to herself a long-dead tune. She waved at Sanji and asked him what sounded like a question with an unintelligible accent. 'Can I help you?', if he had to guess.

"Umm, forgive me, **Baa-chan, but does this place have a good supply of medicinal herbs?" Sanji asked in a kind voice, and the old woman smiled. "You bet!" She replied, enthusiastically.

She rasped loudly for someone to come out, but, Sanji didn't catch the name she used. "What is it, Baa-san? A customer?" An extremely young voice called from within the store. A moment later, a small child, eight at the most, clad in yellow overalls, red galoshes and light brown gardener's gloves, hopped into view. The child pulled at its crazy brunette hair and examined Sanji from head-to-toe.

"He's a weird one, inn'e, Baa-san?" The child asked, as if Sanji couldn't hear. "Hey, you little brat, that's not polite!" Sanji reprimanded, frowning when the child giggled in response.

"Okay, sorry. My name's Gira. I'll show you around, if you'll follow me?" The child smiled politely and stepped one foot through the doorway, waiting on Sanji. The cook straightened up, still a bit annoyed that some strange kid judged him on sight as being weird.

Gira skipped into the shop and twirled around by the entrance until Sanji had caught up, at which point Gira jumped over to some potted plants on the wall to the left of the door. "These are to be ground up into a paste or something similar, used as pain-relievers, sleep-assisters, and disinfectants. Some of these ones over here," Gira pointed to some ugly-looking flowers on the small section of wall beside the door. "Are good for putting in food. They don't have a taste."

Sanji stared at the flowers with an appreciative expression. "That might be useful… That idiot definitely would agree." He told himself, quietly. Gira smiled at him and continued further down the wall, to bare branches. "These are for putting into medicinal teas. They clear sinuses, throat soreness, and help settle one's stomach. But, most of them have weird side-effects like drowsiness, loss of limbs, skin infection, and hallucinations."

"God, the cure is worse than the illness." Sanji said, shocked that people have lost_ limbs_ from drinking herbal tea. Gira laughed, "I know, right? Those side-effects are rare. We only had one case of drowsiness."

"Yeah, that's the one I meant." Sanji said, rolling his eyes. He stepped over to the back wall where there were hundreds of glass jars ranging in size. "What about this stuff?"

"Oh. My daddy says we have a powder for everything on that wall. Stuff that cures infection, fevers, itching, constipation, bleeding, swelling of the face, broken bones, missing bones, weight loss, weight gain, delusions, upset stomach, hair loss, dia-"

"Okay, I get it!" Sanji interrupted, laughing breathlessly. "For a shrimp, you sure know your stuff, don't you?"

"Yep!" Gira chirped, smiling. "But, call me a shrimp again, and I'll show you we don't just carry cures."

"Understood." Sanji said, nodding. He wasn't sure what to make of that kid, but, he didn't doubt that Gira would go through with that threat. "Now, as fun as this little tour has been, I've got a list of things that I need for a friend of mine." Sanji said, reaching into his inside breast pocket and pulling out Chopper's list of medicines without pronunciations. He handed the list to Gira and watched him read it.

After a minute, Gira started going around the store collecting things with her eyes glued to the list. "Wow... Ya'll must be some kind of pirates, right?" Gira asked, absently, grabbing a jar of purple petals off the shelf behind the small counter.

"Yeah." Sanji answered, slowly. He knew he should be careful about whom he told about the crew, but Gira didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that they were pirates. "How did you know?"

"I guessed. Some of this is for illnesses that people contract when they're out at sea for a long time, and some of it is vitamin and mineral supplementation." Gira mumbled, emptying his arms onto the counter and skipping off to a different shelf and collecting fractions of branches. "It's quite an order, and there's some stuff we don't have on there, but, this'll do about the same job. They're good for soreness and stuff."

"Okay." Sanji said, though he didn't know what the branches were, or what they were supposed to be substituting. "So, you run this place by yourself?"

"No. Kina-baa-chan helps and my daddy works here. But, he's researching right now." Gira answered, climbing up on a ladder against a wall with bags and jars of various root-looking things. "This should be about it. That's gonna come up to a lot, though. Do you want any of the tasteless things?"

"Sure. About how much is it going to be, kid? I only have so much to work with."

Gira plucked a handful of white flowers off one of the ugly flower trees and put them in a plastic bag. "You can't put these near anything with a really strong smell, okay?" She said, hopping up onto a step-stool behind the counter and placing the bag delicately on top of the certifiable mountain of medical plants.

Sanji surveyed the pile of odd-looking things with a blank expression. He didn't know what much of it was supposed to be, or if the kid had improvised and given him more than he'd asked for. Or, if the kid really didn't know what he was doing at all. "Uh-"

"Want me to put labels on there? The doctor'll know which is which, but, if it'll help you out...?" Gira offered, smiling in a more-than-a-little-bit smug sort of way. Sanji narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, thanks. Got a bag or something?"

Gira made quick work of labeling all the herbs and roots and flowers then placed them all in a large paper bag. "That'll be one-hundred and eight thousand beli." Gira chirped, leaning forward with a hand out-stretched.

"You're not serious?" Sanji shouted in horror. _What. The. Fuck! I coulda bought out the market for that much!_ He thought, silently begging Gira to be joking. But, he wasn't. The money Chopper gave him barely covered it, but it was enough. Gira and Kin-baa-chan waved Sanji off with broad smiles on their faces.

"Nami-san is going to kill me..." Sanji groaned, rubbing the ache in his forehead. He was sure it wasn't all Nami-related, but he was starting to wonder if it was relative to something that warranted consulting Chopper. _I could ask him while I'm dropping off the purchase of the century..._

Sanji readjusted all the bags he was carrying. The herbs weren't very heavy, but the groceries were. He didn't know where his Marimo pack-mule went, but, he was going to give him hell when he turned up. Especially if he received further injury from carrying all the damn groceries and falling and hitting his head.

"Sanji-kun, what took you so long? I got back half an hour ago and I left after you!" Nami called, perching comfortably on her beach chair on the deck while Sanji and Ussop brought up all the bags Sanji was carrying. Sanji greeted her in his normal flamboyant sort of way, and then answered her question a bit more seriously. "That idiot seaweed left me alone to do Chopper and Ussop's shopping. He's still got an armload of stuff that was supposed to be for dinner."

"Oh, no, he dropped those off before Nami got back." Ussop said, rummaging through a bag branded with the logo of a junk shop. "Ah, wow! I didn't request this! How did you know to get this?"

Sanji glanced over his shoulder at Ussop, who was drooling over some metal something-or-other he'd picked up at the junk shop. "It looked like your kind of crap. So, the Marimo-head came back here, did he? I'll kick his ass!"

"He already lef- wait! This isn't crap!" Ussop shrieked as Sanji hauled the groceries into the kitchen and shut the door behind himself. The cook noticed the bags that Zoro had previously been carrying lying in a heap on the counter and he frowned. He hadn't expected any more than that, but he was still aggravated.

Sanji got to work putting everything in its proper place, leaving out only what he was going to use for making dinner. It took until just past sundown to finish cooking, but that was the point. No one had yet come complaining about being hungry, or even really shown their faces, so Sanji was taking his time. His head was pounding and dancing around the kitchen didn't help things, but it got his mind off of it.

He was letting yet another brilliant concoction simmer in a deep pan on the stove when he decided to sit down and read. Sanji pulled his book from the cabinet where he'd placed it earlier, after picking up the Sea King damage. He flipped through the pages as he sat down at the table, only to have to close it again when he heard the door open.

"Saaaanjiiii~! Is there any meeeeee~at?" That whine was his only warning before Luffy glomped him from behind. "I miiiiiissed yoouuuuu~! I feel like I haven't eaten your food in yeeeeearsss~!" Luffy whined wrapping his arms around Sanji four times.

"Hey! Ack- idiot! Put me down, or you don't get any food!" Sanji threatened, short of breath as he struggled to get out of the Captain's grip. Immediately, Luffy released his hold on him, and Sanji landed with a thump on his ass on the floor. That set his head to swimming again and he groaned. He used the table to help himself up, although Luffy offered him a hand. "You... you're supposed to be resting, aren't you?"

"What? But, I feel a million times be-!" Luffy cut himself off with a loud snore and collapsed at the table, snoozing soundly. Sanji shook his head and began setting the table. He put the food into sturdy serving dishes in the middle of the table with plates and saucers all around them. As fun as it was making everyone's plates for them all the time, meaning, not very, Sanji decided he would let them fix their own. Except Luffy. He'd take everything if he were allowed.

Taking a step back from his masterpiece, Sanji nodded in approval. He snatched his book off the table and replaced it in its cabinet, then stuck his head out the door and called, "Dinner's ready!"

Nami and Robin were on their chairs on deck, (Though Sanji wasn't sure when Robin had arrived), and Ussop and Chopper were swapping compliments about the stuff they'd gotten out of Sanji's shopping trip. He didn't see Zoro and that irked him.

As everyone flooded to the kitchen in a less-than-ravenous group, Sanji asked, "Where's the Moss?" Everyone answered in the negative, saying he arrived, dropped his bags, and set out again with nothing more than a 'hey'. Everyone except Nami, of course, who said she saw him wandering around town, as usual.

That was less than satisfying, but Sanji wasn't going to go out looking for some brain-dead moss after dark. _Who knows what kind of places that guy visits at this time of night..._

Once everyone was situated with their food, Sanji placed Luffy's food in front of him and the Captain rose with a mighty yawn. "That was a great nap! Hey, Sanji, that food smells good!" Luffy said, grinning briefly before opening his rubber jaws and shoveling in as much food off his plate as he could. The room was still and quiet for a three-second period before everyone decided that he was really okay, and nothing was going to happen.

It took Sanji a bit longer, another minute of watching him eat, of watching everyone eat, before he decided it was okay for him to step out for a smoke. He was already fishing for a light when he stepped out into the night air. It was chilly, but not abrasively so. He'd feel sorry for whoever was on watch that night, though.

As he lit the end of his cigarette, his eyes drifted to the port. There were hanging lanterns about ten feet high framing the docks, and further lanterns lighting the way into town. It was beautiful, even with the shady night crowd hanging about certain buildings that had to be taverns. It occurred to him that Zoro may have gravitated to one of the bars on the island, but, he knew in some dark corner of his mind that Zoro wasn't in any of the ones he could see from the ship.

In that same corner of his mind, he could feel a pulsing pain. It seemed to wrap around from the back of his head and stab through the front. There were two spots on his head, from what he could tell, that felt too warm and crawly, almost like he was bleeding, but he knew someone would have pointed out if he were.

A sudden sound on the deck woke Sanji from his pain daze and the blonde looked up. He hadn't realized he was holding his head again, but he didn't think too long about that. "Have you gone to see Chopper yet?"

"What the fuck? That's all you've got to say for yourself after sticking me with the shopping?" Sanji asked, glaring at the slightly-illuminated moss head climbing up the rope ladder. Zoro returned the glare with a tired and annoyed one of his own. "Yeah, that's what I've got to say. Talk to Chopper about your head, or, I'll kick your ass."

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "That's an odd threat. Did the sun wither your brain while you were out leaving me to do all the work?" He teased, tapping the ashes off what was left of his cigarette. He leaned on his elbows on the railing and smirked at Zoro.

"I was _trying_ to help you, shit-cook." Zoro sneered, dropping a full burlap sack onto the deck and his swords right beside it.

Sanji was only slightly distracted by the sack before he said, "By what? Insulting me and making me carry heavy armfuls of bags? No, thanks, shitty-Marimo."

"Hey! I did try to-" Zoro stopped himself. The half of Zoro's face that Sanji could see was indecisive. He was thinking about something. About saying something, or not saying something. Whatever it was, it seemed serious. Zoro was silent for a long moment, deliberating.

"So this is the capacity of seaweed? Impressive."

"Shut up! Never fucking mind, okay? I'm takin' a nap."

Zoro dropped down flat on his back beside the burlap sack and his swords and crossed his arms over his chest. Sanji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. You don't get to complain if Luffy eats your food." The cook said over his shoulder as he went back into the kitchen which had quieted surprisingly to lively chatter. Zoro stared after him through one eye before relaxing and dropping off to sleep.

"Oi." The voice was in a clouded place, far away and a lot colder. The place was uncomfortable, but there were nice sounds in the background. Pretty, calming sounds like waves splashing against wood. He liked that sound.

"You idiot." The voice wasn't as fuzzy that time, sounding clearer and a bit louder, but it was still pleasant. Except that it was insulting him. _What the fuck, voice?_ Zoro frowned and turned away from the voice. Its tone was nice, but, that voice was mean. He'd kick its ass later.

He was about to slip back under, but, the voice caused him to resurface. It was closer; "You'll catch a cold, you know." It said, engulfing him in warmth. His face was kind of cold, but it didn't bother him so much now that his body was warming. Even the cold, hard surface below him felt more comfortable.

His cheek was warmer for a moment, during which time he was almost back fully asleep, but as soon as the warmth left his cheek, he had to make an effort to keep his eyes closed. He didn't want to be awake. It was still night time, he could tell. It wasn't awake time. But, now that he was thinking of it, his stomach was starting to eat itself. It was quite loud.

"Hm?" The voice was much clearer then, though farther away. "What was that?" He groaned and attempted to cover the grumbling in his stomach, but it wouldn't cease. He'd gone without food for days at a time before. He must be spoiled.

He tried to ignore the emptiness of his gut, but he ended up stretching and making to stand up. He propped himself up with his hands flat against the deck behind his backside and looked around. It was dark and out in the open, so, he figured he fell asleep on deck again. It wasn't uncommon. In fact, it was common to the point that he couldn't discern one time from another. In that particular instant, he couldn't remember exactly what happened before he fell asleep, except that he was talking to-

"Awake now, are ya?" It was 'the voice', he knew, but with a clearer mind he could better tell who it really was. It only made sense that the insulting voice was Sanji.

Zoro grumbled something that didn't even have meaning to himself as he rubbed at his face to try and wake up enough to get something to eat. "Haha. Not a morning person? That's okay, it's only just past midnight."

"How does that make it okay?" Zoro groaned, turning his head in the general direction of Sanji's voice. He came face-to-face with a plate of something noodle-y and green-spotted and it took him a few seconds to register that it was a plate of food. "Shitty psychic." He accused, taking the plate and chopsticks that were offered to him.

"I'm a pretty damn good psychic since I knew what you wanted and had it ready beforehand!" Sanji decided, taking a step back from Zoro and nodding. "Hmm... Psychic of the sea... How does that sound?"

Zoro slurped a mouth full of noodles in a sauce that couldn't be described by human words. "Sounds insane." He said, between bites. Sanji hummed to acknowledge the reply, but otherwise didn't say anything, allowing Zoro to scarf down his food without further distraction.

Once Zoro was done, however, he said, "I told Chopper about my headaches."

The swordsman was forced to stop whatever he might have been doing and look at Sanji in disbelief. He was glad that the cook told Chopper about his head, if he wasn't lying, but he was shocked that he actually listened. "...You listened to me?" He questioned, before his tired mind could stop him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, don't be too proud of yourself. My head was killing me, so I just did myself a favor."

"Che, sure. So, what'd he say?"

Sanji shrugged. "He said that some asshole must have been really getting on my nerves to cause such an injury."

"Bastard." Zoro sneered, frowning.

Sanji chuckled at the response. "He gave me something for the pain, anyway. 'S got me kinda out of it, but, better. Not hurting as much."

"As much? Geez, you must be one (*) lily asshole to be so affected by one little bump."

Sanji glared at him in the dim light. "Some Nakama you are! Just go to bed, Marimo, I'm on watch."

Zoro set his dishes down on the deck and stood up; causing the blanket that had covered his lap to fall in a heap at his feet without a sound. That made him pause. Sanji had draped that blanket over him while he was sleeping, (or, at least, mostly). He didn't know why it bothered him, but it did. He was a prideful man, one that wouldn't concede to the opinions of his rival. But, he was also honest, and his honesty wasn't going to allow him to ignore that behavior.

"Nah. You go to bed, I've got this." Zoro said, shrugging. It wasn't much, but that was all he could manage. He'd already had two naps that day, whereas Sanji had been up and about. And he listened to him, and he was injured and... God, thinking about it made him feel like an ass.

Sanji narrowed his eyes at Zoro. "No, it's my shift. What are you trying to pull?" He asked, shifting his weight to his left foot. That wasn't a good sign, in Zoro's opinion.

"Nothing. If your brain's bothering you, just go the fuck to bed!" Zoro snapped, immediately against being accused.

Sanji recoiled away from the words in shock before sneering his comeback, "_Your_ brain must be bothering _you_, shitty-swordsman! It's my job, so, just go to bed before I have to make you go to bed!"

"What the hell are you going to do, cook me to death?"

"That can be arranged!" Sanji snapped, glaring. Suddenly, his head was screaming and he nearly doubled over trying to catch and stop the pulsing, stabbing pain. He felt as if his head was hurting in places it didn't even contain.

Zoro froze completely. He didn't know what to do. "Uh- you- are you alright? Should I, uh- should I get Chopper or something?" He reached out because it looked like Sanji was about to fall over, but the blonde head shook a firm 'no'.

"No, he's got too much to worry about. Besides," Sanji said, quietly, sucking in a breath through his teeth in an attempt to ward relieve some of the pain in his head. "You're the one making my head hurt, idiot."

"I didn't do anything!" Zoro defended. He wasn't sure how Sanji could possibly blame him for that, but, he wasn't having it. He grabbed Sanji by the shoulders and made him sit down on the deck. "You got some medicine or something that he gave you?"

Sanji laughed without a sound. "I already told you that. I said he gave me some stuff that made my head kinda foggy."

"Yeah, but, I mean, extra. For when shit like this happens." Zoro growled, annoyed. He was just sitting there, not doing anything, when he could be helping Sanji. He hated being useless.

"Shit like this, eh?" Sanji laughed again, this time with some sound aside from his ragged breathing. "Yeah. Yeah. Help me up, will ya?" Sanji raised his head just enough so that he could look Zoro in the eye. He hadn't wanted to do that, because he knew what Zoro would think. His eyes, he knew, must be full of his pain, his helplessness. Zoro would think him pathetic. But, it worked, just as he thought it would, in convincing the swordsman to help him up and into the kitchen.

Zoro pulled one of Sanji's arms around his shoulders and stood up a little too quickly for Sanji's liking. The sudden ascent had his head spinning, making him more than just a bit nauseous. His free hand clamped over his mouth, just in case, Sanji attempted to keep up with Zoro's pace, stumbling and nearly falling on the stairs. Surely the swordsman was trying to help, but, if anything, it was making Sanji feel worse.

When they walked through the door, Sanji nearly smiled at the closeness of a still seat. Zoro sat him down at the table and disappeared from view, mumbling something that Sanji couldn't hear above the pounding in his head. He didn't care to know what it was either, because it was probably an insult aimed at him.

A moment later, a glass of water and the cloth bag of medicine Chopper had given him were pushed into his view. He looked up through his hair at Zoro, then back at the items he was offering and put out his hands palm-up after realizing that the items were swaying and multiplying. He was pretty sure that he was the only one seeing them that way.

Zoro said something to him, but his ears were ringing. Sanji looked up, dizzier than he had been before, and pouted. He couldn't make the bags merge with each other to become the real bag; therefore, he couldn't open the real bag. Zoro could help, he knew, but, it seemed like Zoro needed worded instructions.

"I," Sanji began, swallowing an ache that was rising in his throat. "Can't do this." He said, holding up the bag that Zoro had placed in his hand. He stared at Zoro for a long minute, watching his lips move, but not hearing words come out. He looked like his usual clueless self. So, Sanji had to really help him out.

"Look," Sanji paused again, making sure Zoro was looking. He pointed to a drawer with a shaky hand that twitched to go back to holding his head together. "Get me a tablespoon from there. You know what those look like, don'tcha?"

Zoro was already moving in that direction and Sanji had to focus really hard to hear him say something about 'don't underestimate me, just a second'. That was what he heard anyway. But, he didn't trust his brain, or his ears to tell him the truth at the moment.

When Zoro got back, he offered the tablespoon to Sanji and the cook shook his head. "No, I can't see straight. Put two-a those in that glass of water and stir it up, then bring me summa the honey from that cabinet." He said, pointing first to the bag and then to the cabinet that contained the honey. Zoro did as he said with a surprisingly small amount of complaining. None, actually. Sanji managed to drink the whole glass down before Zoro spoke again.

"What the _hell_ happened?" Zoro asked, sounding rather upset. Sanji couldn't tell if he was angry, or annoyed, or what, but it was ticking him off.

"The doc said I should avoid taking this stuff, if I can." Sanji mumbled, not really sure why he was saying that. He could guess that the purple stuff made his mind jumble and his mouth blabber. "He said it would have about the same effect as drugs, but it would ware off a little sooner so I could have clear moments to cook."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "That's not what I asked?" His voice was curious, Sanji noted. He had to be really out of it, he knew, because he just smiled. "My head feels better now." Sanji said, sighing afterwards. "So, it doesn't matter what happened before."

"Yeah, it does! Everybody would blame me if your pansy-ass self decided to die right now."

"No one said I was gonna die, but thank you for that sparkling enthusiasm of yours." Sanji reached out to poke Zoro's forehead, but he stopped when Zoro looked at him, agitated and confused.

"Then, what? What's going on?" Zoro asked, trying to be stern, but Sanji's expression was so unnatural for him that it took all his efforts not to make fun of it.

Sanji noticed the lack of response to his sarcasm and frowned. It was a serious conversation. He didn't want a serious conversation. He didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to think about it. He'd had enough of it when he had to work to convince Chopper to leave him be. When he'd had to tell Robin-chan that, no, nothing was going on, he was fine. When he'd had to explain to Ussop and Luffy that he had just had a couple glasses of wine, and that's why he sounded weird and looked goofy.

"Oi!" Zoro slapped his hand down on the table, causing Sanji to jump nearly a foot off the bench. He was glaring right at Sanji, or had been, anyway. He stopped and softened a little when the cook fought to keep a neutral expression on his face. "Does your offer still stand?" Sanji asked, looking somewhat resigned.

"What?" Zoro asked, completely lost on the cook's thought trail.

"Your offer. You said you'd keep watch and I should go to bed. Does your offer still stand?" Sanji asked, raising his eyebrows innocently. Zoro thought about it a moment, wondering if he should say what he wanted to say, if the cook would remember it when he was back to normal.

"Yeah, fine." Zoro said, nodding once and standing up. "As long as you explain yourself in the morning."

"Aww, conditions?" Sanji whined, standing up as well. "How mean. But, it can't be helped. What you get to know depends on what I feel like telling and if you continue down this path," Sanji paused to take a breath. "That might be quite a lot."

Zoro was shocked, but he didn't say anything, despite his instinct nagging him to say something about 'the real Sanji'. Instead, he nodded and followed the cook out onto the deck. Sanji had grabbed the glass and the powder on his way out and tossed them down onto a hammock in the men's room before looking back at Zoro. "Thanks. You seem to be helping me out a lot lately."

"Yeah..." Zoro mumbled and watched as the hatch shut behind the cook. He didn't know what to think. He didn't know what to say. But, something in him, something that he suspected knew what it was doing, told him to go back to that diary...

*** Ossan - Man, guy, usually used to address an older male, and very informal.**

**** Baa-chan - Grandma, old lady. Again, this is an informal term.**

**(*) Lily - I didn't know if people would understand this. It just means wuss, or pansy, but, I don't know if it's a widely used term. xP**

**Ara ara~? What is this? A diary chapter next, perhaps? We will see. Review, my readers! I would very much love to hear from you!**


	8. Got a clue

**Hello, all. I apologize, it took me a long time to get this out! I had, (have ;^^), a lot to do and it will probably be a while before I'm done with the next one. I have to work on Your Heart, damn iiiiiit!**

**Okay, neurotic me, signing out. Enjoy!**

Zoro thumbed through the pages of the slightly-crunchy diary. The pages were all wavy like they get when they've just dried out, so he had to be careful. The pages were frailer and the ink was a little watery in places, but, Zoro quickly got to the page he intended. It was the last page he had seen Sanji writing in, but, there were a few after that with fresh, smooth ink on them.

He skimmed over two pages that were basically an extended list of things that were broken or ruined during the fiasco that was the last twenty-four hours of their adventurous lives. There was a lot more shit on there than he'd seen Sanji get earlier in the day. Tomorrow would be eventful, he knew, but he would think about that when it happened.

After that list of things was a short page of thoughts. Zoro grinned and read them, liking the small glimpse into the ever-complicated mind of the moody cook. It read; _well, shit. All this damn destruction. Sea Kings should die. I will make them regret the day they ruined my good dishes. And half the glasses. Damn them to hell._

I must have hit my head or something too. God, I am so dizzy. I can't even see well enough to read my own hand-writing. Well, that can be explained away, I guess, because it's pretty damn sloppy. But, still. And, what is that ringing? I should ask if anyone else can hear it, but I wouldn't want to know if I were the only one that could. It'd make them worry unnecessarily. Not to mention, that means I'm fucking crazy! Or, brain damaged... But, that's worse. I was probably crazy to begin with...

It ended there and Zoro frowned. He couldn't tell if Sanji was depressed or just making fun of himself. Zoro didn't know what he could possibly do to fix either one, but, he definitely didn't want the cook to be depressed. Or making fun of himself, because that was Zoro's job. It was also Zoro's job, as Sanji's Nakama and rival, to make sure he was in perfect health for their competitions, save for any blows he landed himself. That damned Sea King would pay if... Oh, wait, he already killed it. Well... damn it. He'd just have to... eat it mean, or somethin'.

Zoro knocked his head against the edge of the crow's nest. Eat it mean? That was one of the stupidest things he'd ever thought. He'd try it, of course, but, never shall that thought live to be voiced.

He turned the page and became worried seeing the writing. It was definitely Sanji's, but it was a lot sloppier than before. _'Shopping... shopping... damn, my back is killing me. I'll have to think of something to assist that whole shopping situation. Moss balls aren't helpful in that area._ Zoro rolled his eyes. _Where the fuck did he even go? ... Ah, well, doesn't matter. Shit, pot is boiling._ There was a large gap between the end of that sentence and the start of the next one. _'Poor Chopper. He's got so much on his hands hooves. He did give me some weird stuff for my head, though, even if he didn't have a diagnosis for me. That stuff... wow... I feel high.'_

Zoro snorted. He'd picked up on that last part. The rest of the page was rambling on about how much better he felt. How bad it was before. _'It was like it was timed or something. Coordinated with itself to bring me down at the worst possible time. Like, I can't think about certain things without feeling a damn spear pierce through my brain. That's stupid. That's not how brain damage works. At least, I don't think. But, I can't be sure. Shit's been weird these past few days. Anything could happen. Luffy could even be pregnant. OH GOD. NONONO, never mind! I didn't FUCKING think that!'_

And, that's where it ended. Not that Zoro didn't enjoy that as an ending, he actually laughed loudly at it, but he wanted to know more. He wanted something better than the high-as-a-kite imagination of the cook. He wanted to know what he could do. He had been hoping there was something he could do, something so clear-cut and written out perfectly for him to understand and stop. But, Sanji's own thoughts were disorganized, so how was Zoro supposed to know how to help him when Sanji probably didn't even know how to help himself.

Zoro closed the book with a bit more force than he needed as he stood up. He turned to climb out of the crow's nest, but a flash of white caught his eye. The moon reflected off a piece of paper fluttering down through the air and threatening to land in the ocean before floating back over the deck. The swordsman frowned. _Where did that come from?_

He climbed down quickly, with Sanji's book tucked into his *haramaki, and followed the paper with his eyes. He caught it at shoulder-level carefully, trying not to harm the paper in any way. It was somewhat crunchy like the pages in Sanji's diary, but it was folded in half and then half again. That, Zoro had not seen before.

That page, unlike all the others, had runny ink-trails that were vaguely word-shaped on either side of the page. The creases were well-worn, creased and re-creased in slightly different places. Zoro became very, very curious at that.

He unfolded the page and squinted at the words. They were written neatly and with purpose, but the words had bled enough that Zoro couldn't easily read them. He had to strain to read it, especially in the faint moonlight and the lingering lantern light from the town. He was standing stiffly, hunched over the paper, holding it close to his face at an angle where it could catch decent light.

'I had a dream last night. I don't want to document the whole thing, and this is the first time I've ever written personal things on purpose. I just don't want to forget.'

That line had been easy. The rest were taking ages to decipher. He could make out a word here and there, even a whole sentence once, '_Sitting in the kitchen, in the quiet, in the middle of a warm night.'_ He could pick out his name every now and again, which was beyond surprising. But, besides that, he couldn't understand much.

He felt a little bad that the page contained something Sanji didn't want to forget, as was written, and had gotten so badly damaged. It was sort of his fault, anyway. But, maybe Sanji didn't notice. Or, didn't care. Hopefully. It would be a little odd if Sanji tried to kick his ass over a ruined piece of paper.

But, why was he worrying so much about it anyway?

... Okay, that one's easy; a page of some dream that the shitty-cook didn't want to forget has my name on it several times. It may just be about beating me... but, I don't think that's it.

Zoro scratched the back of his head as he crossed into the kitchen and put away Sanji's book in the cabinet that the cook always put it in. He tucked the ruined page into his haramaki for later inspection and returned to the crow's nest to finish out his watch.

- ~_the next morning_~ -

He awoke in mid-sentence, sitting up almost immediately. He sat for a moment, puzzled, before he remembered that he'd been dreaming. Sanji looked around the room at Luffy, Chopper and Ussop, and then his eyes landed on a cloth bag in the floor. He remembered that. His head wasn't really hurting, just a small headache, for now, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

Sanji stretched his arms above his head and yawned quietly, being sure not to wake anyone. He buttoned up the top two buttons on his shirt and grabbed the glass and medicine bag off the floor before ascending the ladder and stepping out into the light of early dawn.

The world was covered with a thin fog, which made Sanji worry about the weather. He didn't think too hard about it, even though the crew was down on their luck, he couldn't count on morning mist as a bad omen. It was just a natural occurrence in coastal towns, he told himself. Islands qualified as coastal.

The cook stretched again, this time working out the stiffness in his spine and legs. His head started to spin a little and odd colors seeped into his vision for a moment, but after standing perfectly still against the side of the ship, everything went back to normal. Sanji sighed. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

He didn't spare too much time for thinking about all that was wrong. After all, he had things to do, errands to run. A chef of the sea has no time to be sick or injured. Especially one stocking up for a crew of six people and one black hole.

Sanji put the glass and medicine on the counter in the kitchen, at the same time collecting his jacket. He didn't remember leaving it in the kitchen, but it was sort of convenient. The rest of his money was in his jacket pockets. Sanji didn't know if any stores were open that early; all he knew was that he wanted to get off the ship.

Taking only a moment to scrawl a note, Sanji climbed off the ship and headed out into the foggy town without a single word. But, that didn't go without notice.

He stared up at the wooden ceiling in a daze. He could hear Sanji up there. What he was doing, he didn't know. He couldn't smell breakfast, though, so whatever it was probably wasn't important. But, he did want to know. At least a little bit. Sort of. He'd been awake for so long already. He didn't think he'd go back to sleep. And his legs were kind of restless. He stretched his arms and legs wide, overflowing out of his hammock. _Now, where's my hat?_

Sanji inhaled deeply and puffed out smoke almost mimicking the fog in the air. It was a nice day, so far. A few early birds were out, cheerful morning people and groggy business owners. Really a sight to behold when you've been travelling at sea, especially as a pirate. You had to be a special kind of person not to miss civilization and routine and land. Well, not really 'special', so much as... sea-happy? Sanji didn't know if that was really a word, but it made sense to him, so, whatever.

The distant smell of fresh bread gave Sanji pause. At first, he couldn't figure out why. But, a moment later he dropped his head in his palm. _Breakfast... damn._ Everyone was bound to be getting up soon. Perhaps, if it weren't for a certain someone, he would just let them make their own breakfast. But, then again, there were two certain someone's that he enjoyed cooking for. Quite the dilemma.

Sanji looked around at the light stone buildings, noticing that the mist had cleared up and the sun had risen above the clouds. That made it all the more difficult to head back to the ship. But, before he could explore, have fun, or even shop, he did need to make breakfast. It was probably already past seven, by the looks of things. Damn it, they'd be awake.

He sighed, hanging his head for a moment, absolutely still, before turning and heading back the way he came. His brain was pulsing, right in the front, seemingly on the off-beat between his steps. Sanji wished he'd taken some of the purple stuff before he left the ship.

"Oh, there you are."

Sanji looked up so suddenly his head began to scream, but it went almost completely unnoticed. "Luffy? What are you doing up?" Sanji asked, rushing up to the wobbling captain and catching him by the shoulders. Luffy smiled vaguely, and then frowned a moment later. "I'm hungry."

The cook blinked. "Of course you are!" Sanji laughed, clapping his hand on Luffy's shoulder a couple times before steering him around and heading back towards the port. Sanji had to keep steering Luffy so he would go forward and not off to do some random deed somewhere on the other side of the island from their ship.

"Ne, Sanji," Luffy said, rolling his head from side to side. "No offense, but... can we eat at a restaurant?" Luffy looked over his shoulder at Sanji and grinned sheepishly. "I do like your food, but, it feels like I haven't been out of bed in years!"

Sanji thought it over for a moment. He didn't really want to be cooped up at the ship, so he could sympathize with Luffy on that one. He also didn't quite feel like cooking. His head was killing him, anyway. "Fine. I gotta get my medicine from the ship, though." Sanji said, shrugging as the ship came into view. Luffy nodded, walking with a bit more pep in his step.

When they got back to the ship, Sanji went straight to the kitchen and fixed himself half a glass of water with a tablespoon of purple powder. It wasn't Chopper's recommended dose, but if he was going out in public he didn't want to be as loopy as he was on a full dosage. Not to mention the blank spots. There were parts of his evening missing, like when he put his jacket down, or when and how the dishes got clean. More important things, too, obviously, but he hadn't a hope of remembering them without visual aid. And, since he didn't know what to look for, he couldn't do anything but wait.

Sanji stepped back out onto the deck and rummaged through his pockets. He didn't know how much it would take to pay for Luffy's breakfast, but he had a feeling Nami was going to be distraught by the number. _Wait a second..._ "Hey, Luffy? You still have your allowance for this island, don't you?" Sanji called down to Luffy, who was walking around a lamp-post with a look of fascination on his face.

"It's so pretty... Sanji, I put my money in my hat, so I have it." Luffy said, jovially. He put his hand on the lamp post and laughed. "Ahaha! I should get me one of these!"

Sanji raised his eyebrows in question, but Luffy was utterly absorbed in circling that lamp post. Sanji had thought many times before, even before Luffy got sick, that the Captain acted mentally unstable. Talking to lamp posts was definitely a new one, though. It was better than vomiting, for sure, but it was still weird.

Sanji nodded once. "Double-check."

"Checked."

"And, you're sure?"

"Yep. Can we eat now?"

Sanji cast one final look at the ship as he climbed down the rope ladder and onto the dock. He was pretty sure he had everything he needed, but he had a feeling there was something he needed to look into. When he got feelings like that, he was almost always spot on. It was probably going to bug him all day, trying to figure out what he was forgetting. Damn that nagging feeling.

"Hurr~y!" Luffy sang, somewhat annoyed and somewhat joyful. Sanji snorted. "Yeah, yeah, alright." He grumbled, grabbing Luffy by the back of his nightgown, (which was rather goofy looking with his straw hat and flip-flops), and prying him away from the lamp post.

Luffy swiped at the pole as Sanji pulled him away. "He~y! Can't I say goodbye, first?" Luffy whined, laughing after a minute or two of being dragged. He turned to walk on his own, still laughing. "Are we gonna get cake?" He asked.

Sanji looked at him, confused. "You want... cake? Not meat?" Luffy nodded. "Luffy, are you feeling okay?" Sanji reached out and felt the captain's forehead. He didn't have a temperature, as far as Sanji could tell, but it was just weird. Luffy was hungry and the first thing he asked for wasn't meat? Of course, everyone liked cake and Luffy could eat anything, but it just wasn't normal.

"Meh... I'm feeling okay. But, you know what? I like rasberries." Luffy said, with a serious nod. Sanji tried to look serious, like he understood the reason behind that information, but he had to look away to keep from laughing.

"Luffy, um..." Sanji paused, coughing once. "You like, er, raspberries? Why- why do you say that?"

Luffy looked at him with doe eyes, completely confused as to why Sanji didn't understand. "Of course you know why I said that; it's because raspberries are in cake or they build boats."

"What?" Sanji asked, laughing into the knuckles of his right hand. He felt that Luffy would get offended if he openly laughed at the nonsense he was babbling, so he quickly righted himself.

"Sanji, isn't that a diner?" Luffy asked, pointing in the direction of a quaint-looking, one-story building with a white exterior and a blue roof. A sign hanging in one of the large windows said that they were open and serving hot breakfast. "I guess it is." Sanji mumbled. "You wanna check it out?"

The moment he said that, a rather heavy man stepped out of the diner and looked around. When he spotted them, his face lit up. "Travelers, eh? You two look like the sea-going type. Hungry?" He asked in a far too enthusiastic, boisterous voice, with a wide smile. Personally, Sanji thought that anyone who was that excited to see pirates had an ulterior motive, but Luffy answered the man's question without a moment's hesitation, calling him a 'nice Ossan'.

Sanji knew then and there that it was going to be a long morning.

The sun forced his eyes open like a crowbar. He had to squint for a minute and turn away from the evil rays, but he adjusted quickly. He couldn't hear anyone down below, so he could only guess that it was early in the morning, even though the sunlight would suggest high noon. He couldn't imagine how he slept that long.

Zoro stood up and stretched several different ways as a sort of apology to his body for sleeping in the crow's nest. He looked down and around at the view and smiled. The island was beautiful, the ocean more so. A few days was more than enough time for him to find an adequate exercise area and get in some good training. _Now's as good a time as any,_ Zoro thought with a shrug.

He climbed down from the crow's nest as quietly as possible, careful not to wake anyone who might otherwise sleep for another hour or so. It seemed his effort was in vain when there was a loud thud from below deck.

"_Eh?_ _Where's Luffy?_" It was Ussop's voice, shortly followed by Chopper's; "_Huh? Is he in the kitchen with Sanji already_?"

Zoro frowned to himself for a moment, not really thinking of anything in particular. _What you get to know depends on what I feel like telling and if you continue on this path... that might be quite a lot._ Those were Sanji's words. Right. He was supposed to talk to him. Or, no, he wanted to talk to him; to get some answers.

The swordsman walked up the steps to the kitchen, as he went making a note of what sounded like someone going from one bedroom to the next. There was muffled conversation going on below deck, but that was fine. If it was an early bird kind of day, then so be it.

The door was somewhat swollen with moisture, so, Zoro had to shove it a little harder than he intended to. The galley was dark but for the streams of sunlight through the portholes, and colder than the crow's nest. Not to mention he saw neither hide nor hair of either the cook or the Captain.

All the evidence of the room ever being inhabited at all was on the table in the form of a cloth medicine bag, an empty glass and a tablespoon. "That damn liar." Zoro grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the medicine bag. Something in the back of his mind, the quiet part, told him he had no right to call Sanji a liar, because he hadn't technically lied yet, but it was all Zoro could think to say.

Zoro emerged from the kitchen and found Ussop and Chopper on deck, wandering about like ants. "Are they in there?" Chopper asked, obviously worried out of his mind. Zoro was going to kill those two. "No. They probably went out exploring or something." Zoro said slowly, wondering if it sounded as bad to them as it did to him. But, it was a likely possibility, since it was Luffy and Sanji they were discussing.

Ussop and Chopper stopped their apparent searching, suddenly, and shared a look. "Yeah. Yeah, that's probably it. After all, he couldn't leave bed for the better part of what? Like, a year?" Ussop said, nodding with a hand under his chin.

"A bit of an exaggeration, but, yes." Chopper said, skeptical. He looked around, worry written all over his face. "It can't be later than nine... where could they have gone so early? And, both of them in less than perfect health."

"Hm?" Ussop looked back and forth between Zoro and Chopper. "Less than perfect health? I know Luffy's sick, but what's up with Sanji?"

"Doesn't matter." Zoro said with a shrug. Honestly, he didn't think Sanji had intended to tell anyone about his condition; it was just misfortune and pushiness from Zoro that ended with him and Chopper being in the loop. Though Sanji would surely tell one or both of the women in his own time, perhaps even everyone, Zoro knew it wasn't his place to tell anyone anything about Sanji's secret headaches.

Ussop was quick to dismiss the exchange, instead 'remembering' that he had to use the toilet. As soon as the sniper was out of sight, Chopper whispered, "Why didn't you tell Ussop? Better yet, why'd you say it doesn't matter? It does matter!"

"I know, I know." Zoro defended, putting up a hand to keep Chopper from speaking. "Just... the cook would have told him if he wanted him to know."

Chopper seemed to falter for a second, before nodding. "That makes sense... Okay, fine. So, do you really think they're just in town?"

Zoro hesitated. "... Yeah. I think they are. Shopping for meat or something." Chopper laughed, still somewhat skeptical. Zoro hoped, for the sake of anyone and anything that got in Chopper's way that nothing more serious was going on. The little doctor could be brutally devoted when it came to taking care of his patients and Nakama.

Chopper excused himself to check on Robin's wound after an awkward moment of thought-filled silence. Zoro looked around the empty deck, still once more, and wondered if he was right. If they were really okay. He didn't have anything to do on the ship, no breakfast, no conversation, no nothing of any importance, but Zoro planted himself at the base of the mast, facing the island and waited.

Slowly, the day started around him as he feigned sleep. First, the quiet noises of town that had been drowned out by seabirds became a bustling hubbub of activity. Next, everyone woke up and started staying above deck, Nami cooking breakfast in the most irritating way possible, Ussop working on some smelly contraption, Robin reading a book for a while, then leaving to 'observe' a bookshop, and Chopper experimenting with different roots and powders in labeled bags. No Captain, no Cook.

Zoro was getting tired of it. Sitting around, useless, when there were things to be done was not his forte. He had to think of a way to confirm they were fine, or else think of a good excuse to go looking. _I could say I'm going to explore... maybe get in some training... I could just take off, not say anything... Yeah, they'd probably let it be._

As Zoro opened his eyes, already moving towards getting up, Nami shouted, "Finally! Geez, where have you been?"

Chopper and Ussop were magnetized to the side of the ship facing the island, waving. Chopper jumped up on the side of the ship and yelled, "Are you two okay? If you aren't, I'm gonna kill you!" Zoro could hear Luffy laugh at the doctor. "_We're fine! Just went for cake_!"

"Cake?" Nami, Ussop and Chopper screeched. Zoro ground his teeth together to keep from being their echo. Because, really, cake? He could've punched both their skulls in for that. In fact, he couldn't be sure that he wouldn't punch their skulls in later. In fact, why not sooner? Zoro's hand loosely held the hilt of one of his swords as he watched Luffy, followed by Sanji climb up onto the ship.

The doctor was grilling Sanji on what happened with Luffy, if either of them got hurt, what they did, where they went, when they left, while Nami and Ussop were trying to talk to Luffy, who was grinning like a drunken version of his normal self.

Zoro wanted to say something, wanted to give that cook a taste of his fist. But, he had to wait. He couldn't think of a way to pick a fight without looking like he was concerned. Which he wasn't. Only pissed. He was supposed to get information that morning, from the cook, and the fact that he didn't, even though it was promised, made him more than a little annoyed.

Eventually, the commotion died down, Luffy was sent to bed, (not without a fight), and Sanji went to the kitchen to 'make a snack for my poor, lovely ladies'. Chopper had gone with him into the kitchen, probably to inquire about his head. Zoro didn't want to interrupt, but he had a good opportunity and a good cover. After all, he'd skipped breakfast by playing possum.

"Go ahead and take that off, I'll get out some fresh gauze." Chopper said, opening the case he kept all the bandages, disinfectant and gauze in. Sanji nodded and un-buttoned his shirt, slipped it off and folded it up neatly. He examined his own arms and chest, noting that most of his cuts looked a lot better. The day before, Chopper had had to pull several green Sea King scales from his wounds. They'd been red and slightly swollen and Chopper was concerned that it would take a while for them to heal. When Chopper looked up from his case, though, he smiled. "Looks a lot better than yesterday." He commented. Sanji smiled in response. "Yeah, thanks, Chopper. They still kinda sting, though."

Chopper hummed as he surveyed the cook's outer damage with a serious expression. His eyes flickered upward occasionally, making it seem to Sanji like he had something to say. "Something wrong?" Sanji asked, lifting his arm upon Chopper's request.

The doctor made to shake his head, then sighed. "I was just thinking. Just- I mean, just thinking." Chopper said, laughing nervously. Sanji raised an eyebrow at him. "Out with it." He goaded, slowly. Chopper looked up again, giving him a half-hearted smile. "I just thought, maybe, your headaches may have been caused by an infection in- in these cuts. But, that's just a thought."

Sanji nodded, and then shrugged. "There's always the possibility." He said, nonchalantly. Sanji didn't think much about it, since the cuts were shallow. And, since his head hadn't gone back up to stabbing pain since the night before. He was actually doing very well.

"Yeah. I guess so. Not incredibly likely, though, since your headaches started so soon after you got cut." Chopper shook his head, dabbing a cotton ball full of disinfectant on a few of Sanji's deeper wounds. The cook flinched slightly, but quickly resumed a light-hearted exterior. "Of course. And they're much better today than yesterday, so, thank you."

"No problem. They're really better?"

"Yep. Didn't you expect that?"

"W-well, yes! I knew the powder would help... by the way, how much have you had?"

Sanji rolled his eyes upward in thought. "Today, a tablespoon. Yesterday, er, four."

Chopper nodded. "Good. Let me know if you need more, or something with fewer side effects."

"Definitely fewer side effects." Sanji said exasperatedly. At that moment, the door opened. They looked up and saw Zoro pacing over to the fridge. "Hungry." The swordsman stated without looking over to Sanji and Chopper. The doctor laughed and explained to Sanji that Zoro had skipped breakfast, since Nami was cooking.

"No matter who it is, you shouldn't skip meals." Sanji scolded. He would've added on a bit about 'and Nami-swan's a great cook', except that he'd heard the others talking about how bad her cooking was compared to Sanji's.

Zoro snorted. "Yeah, okay, whatever." He glanced over at Sanji, who was calmly letting Chopper put small bandages on his wounds. "There's a reason she's the navigator, not the cook." Zoro said, returning to the task at hand.

Sanji laughed and Chopper berated him for it. "Hold still! You could re-open these wounds, you know!" The doctor squeaked, steadying Sanji's shoulder with one hoof while he taped a gauze pad onto a three-inch cut on Sanji's chest with the other.

"Okay, okay." Sanji relented, putting his hands up briefly. He looked over at Zoro, who was examining some seaweed wraps. "If you'll wait another few minutes, I'm going to be making lunch." He said, calmly, un-amused. The swordsman made a dismissive sound, tossing things around in the cabinets and fridge.

Chopper finished dressing Sanji's wounds a minute later. He told the cook strictly that he was to move only as much as absolutely necessary, or else he'd worsen his healing scratches. "I have to go check on Luffy again, just to be sure, so take it easy." Chopper said smiling, though his eyes were entirely serious. He gave Sanji another strict look, and a semi-pleading look to Zoro, before he left the galley, backpack in hoof.

"What the hell?" Zoro growled suddenly, causing Sanji's fingers to slip from doing one of his shirt buttons. The cook looked up, flipping his hair in the process. "Something wrong, Marimo-kun?" Sanji sneered, turning back to his buttons and doing up all but the top two.

"You! You are wrong! I took watch for you, now I want answers." Zoro said, agitated, but calming slightly as Sanji furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't... About what? I don't understand." Sanji said slowly, shaking his head.

Zoro frowned. "You can't honestly tell me you don't..." He trailed off watching the cook's confused expression. _Of course he doesn't remember... Stupid purple stuff..._ "I wanted to know why you... just, why... ugh! You- you blamed me for, for your headache, last night, you... don't you remember?"

Sanji's eyes wandered the room slowly. "Sort of. I don't know. Maybe I'll think of it?" Sanji moved around the kitchen nervously. He gathered up nameless ingredients, flitting about the kitchen with a natural flow, like Zoro wasn't actually standing right in the middle of everything.

"You better." Zoro threatens quietly, before stalking over to the wine rack and grabbing a bottle of sake. He popped the top off the bottle and sat down on one of the benches at the table so that he was facing Sanji and leaning his back against the edge of the tabletop. Sanji stared at him as he took a swig from the bottle.

"It's too early for sake, jackass." Sanji said mildly. He was agitated, because, of course, there is a time and a place for drinking, but he was more preoccupied with trying to remember. He hadn't thought the medicine made him forget, but, then again, since he didn't remember, then he wouldn't know that he had forgotten. It was a confusing and vicious circle.

Zoro grumbled something around another swig of sake, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. He was trying to say, 'make some damn lunch already', but that could be conveyed later, when he wasn't trying to drown himself in fermented rice wine. Sanji shook his head at Zoro and proceeded to make a meal of considerable size. He, himself, wasn't very hungry, but he knew everyone was whining about breakfast being terrible, (Except Luffy, because he had cake), so they'd probably be hungry, (Including Luffy, because he ate more than five minutes ago).

Sanji soon forgot about Zoro watching him and let the food take control of his mind. It required focus, concentration, but he could still think about other things while he cooked. Like, whatever the hell happened the night before. He could think of plenty of circumstances under which he would blame Zoro. Injuries, of course, but a headache? Albeit a murderous headache, but nothing he could really blame anyone else for. _Well, unless Zoro was being annoying_.

The cook hesitated for a moment and smirked to himself. Zoro was always annoying. It wasn't a stretch to say that Zoro caused nearly all of his headaches. But, it was an on and off sort of thing. The first headache he got, after falling off the Sea King, was when Ussop and Chopper were dragging Luffy into the men's room after he fell asleep randomly on deck. They started laughing and his head nearly exploded. Sanji frowned. If he got a blinding headache every time somebody laughed on that ship, he'd never leave bed.

"What?"

Sanji paused, shifting his eyes to the left, then the right, before turning to look at Zoro. "Huh?" Sanji questioned. He must have missed something, he knew.

The swordsman was frowning at him, arms crossed over his chest, sake bottle clutched in his left hand. "Never mind." Zoro grumbled, staring at the incredibly interesting floorboards. Sanji raised his eyebrows at this. "If you've got something to say, say it." The cook goaded, turning back to the task at hand slowly. Somehow, Sanji knew Zoro wouldn't finish what he was saying while the cook was looking directly at him.

Zoro glanced back at Sanji and noticed he wasn't looking at him anymore. That was better. He couldn't care to the cook's face, but the back of his head was fine. "It just looked like you were thinkin' about something serious, so I asked what. You don't have to answer, it's not like I care!"

The cook coughed slightly, a cover for his offended smirk. "Is that so? Well, I won't answer."

"Che." Zoro took another swallow of sake. Sanji grit his teeth. Why did Zoro have to be so infuriating?

Zoro sat there drinking and contemplating whether or not to ask again. He nearly slapped himself when it occurred to him that he was spending too much time focused on the thought patterns of a crazy cook. He couldn't even enjoy his sake. Zoro groaned and turned to face the table so could put the bottle down. As he did so, he heard a crinkling sound.

"What the-?" Zoro questioned, looking around. The cook was doing something with rice and nobody else was in the kitchen. _Then, where did that sound come from?_ Zoro furrowed his brows. He looked up at the cabinet where Sanji's diary was and frowned deeper. _Books don't make noise by themselves_. He thought, suspiciously. Then, it hit him.

Zoro fished in his haramaki and felt the crippled paper. He pulled it out and looked at it, folded up as it had been when he first hid it away in his waistband the night before. He didn't know what possessed him to do it, the cook was standing mere feet away, but Zoro unfolded the paper and began trying to read it. He hunched his shoulders slightly, hoping that was enough to hide the paper from view and squinted at the blurred words.

The mid-day light was much better for deciphering small, water-damaged handwriting. He could see everything so much better, even though it was still challenging to pick out any words. In the second line, he read the word 'crazy' a few times, and he could see several flourished 'I's. _Damn... Okay, one letter at a time._ Zoro coached himself, squinting further at a letter that may have, at one point, been a 'g' or a 'y'.

"What the _fuck_ do you think you're doing?" Sanji's voice was low and angry and Zoro could swear it came from inside his own ear, but he turned around anyway. A quick pale hand snatched the paper away from him and before he could even try to say anything, he was kicked hard in the gut and hit the wall.

He recovered in record time, pushing himself up almost before he hit the floor. "What the hell was that for? It's just a fucking _paper_!"

Sanji glared at him, one of the most dangerous looks he'd ever seen the blonde wear. "You have been, haven't you? Reading my book?" Sanji asked, his voice still nothing more than a whisper.

"Why the hell do you care? It's just a bunch of shit anyway!" Zoro growled, preparing to draw his swords. Sanji faltered slightly, looking like he was about to snarl. "Get _out_ of my kitchen." He ordered.

*** Haramaki - Waistband. The green one. Haven't I said that already?**

**Oh. Noes. Why am I so bad at conclusions? TT_TT Oh, well. I thought it was cool, actually. I'd like to know what you think! Also, yes, I did influence Luffy's cravings with my own. xD**

**Please, review and be sure to check out my other stories, Your Heart and Foster. Loves you alllllll!**

**Ciao~**


	9. Anger, Confusion, and Trouble?

**After much hard work and long hours of crammin, here, my devoted fans, is a new chapter! It took too frikkin' long, I know, but I have stuffs to do, ya know? It took me maybe a week and a half to do this and I still came a little short of standard chapter length for this story, but I think it turned out okay. Hell, I always think that. But, whatever. Go ahead and read it, I'll, uh... I'll wait here.**

**Enjoy!**

_"Get out of my kitchen."_

The words bounced around in his head, the cold and angry tone causing him to frown. He couldn't stop himself from thinking about it, even though he'd long grown tired of remembering the events of that afternoon. He could hardly stand it, wanting to kick the cook's ass for humiliating him the way he had. Zoro almost wished he'd been able to listen when he was told to get out of the kitchen. But, he couldn't have done it.

Zoro had firmly refused, drawing his swords and preparing for the usual fight. But, Sanji had other ideas. They'd only exchanged maybe three blows each, before Sanji had slammed his leg into Zoro's side and sent him through the door and hurdling into the mast, causing him to drop two of his swords in the process. He'd recovered fast enough from that, but the noise it caused gave Luffy a half-way decent excuse to get out of bed and he took it. When the Captain figured out what made the noise, though, his goofy, light attitude was gone, instead replaced by a solemn exterior he rarely wore. He'd forbidden them from fighting, having to reiterate his point from days before.

Sanji had agreed immediately, but Zoro had argued. A decision, he found, that was not one of his best. The moment he finished saying how he couldn't stop fighting if the cook was going to be an annoying bastard, Sanji had practically dropped to the floor just outside the kitchen, holding his head. Everyone had been concerned for him, angry at Zoro and everything went to shit from there.

Nami and Chopper coddled Sanji while he finished making lunch, and the second it was plated, Chopper sent him to bed, since Sanji said he wasn't hungry. Zoro was told to stay above deck at all costs, because he was 'too mean to Sanji'. Everyone looked at him like he was a complete fuck up. How was he supposed to know when Sanji's damn brain was gonna have another episode?

Zoro was absolutely solid on the fact that it wasn't his fault. How could it be? He was just trying to read the cook's illegible handwriting, not chop off his hands or anything. He didn't deserve to be lectured, and the cook certainly didn't deserve to play innocent in the matter. But, everyone was on his side. It was unfair to the extreme, and that's why Zoro left the ship to 'stretch his legs'. Not that anybody had listened when he'd made up that excuse.

It was only starting to get dark out, probably almost dinner time. He'd been out and about for several hours at least. At first, he'd gone to a bar, but he'd run low on money, so he left before things got hairy. He wouldn't normally worry about it, but it was still the middle of the day. He had plenty of time to visit a different bar and start a bar fight when it was darker.

He was still fuming, but being out in the open helped. Sure, it was open out on deck, but everyone's attitude towards him was annoying and made the air feel stuffy and he just didn't like it. It was driving him fucking crazy. How could they blame him for something that was equally, if not more, Sanji's fault? It didn't really matter, he decided. What they thought was what they thought, wrong or not.

Zoro found himself in a sandy area, across the island from the spot where Merry was docked, no doubt. He didn't care. It was more peaceful there, with just the birds, the plants and the ocean, no Sanji. He took a deep breath of salty, slightly fishy air and sighed. Definitely more peaceful.

A few trees littered the sand, looking very tropical and shady, so, Zoro planted himself at the base of one of those trees, a few yards up from the tide, and placed his swords at his side. The wind blew, just then, giving that perfect little spot the feel of paradise. Zoro closed his eyes to the fading sunshine, knowing it would be dark and cold soon, but not caring. He'd take a nap if and where he damn well felt like it.

Shrinking a bit further into the smooth bark, Zoro let out one last sigh. One image flashed in his mind, just before everything became comfortably black; Sanji's dangerous glaring face.

* * *

><p>Sanji sat at the table, waiting for the Sea King meat to finish steaming, with his feet propped up on the opposite bench. He was flipping through his book, mumbling every now and again about just how stupid Zoro is. He couldn't believe that bastard had read his book. He was sure Zoro hadn't read the entire thing; their fight would have gone much differently if he had. But, the fact that he had read any at all... and Sanji had no way of knowing what exactly Zoro did read.<p>

He rubbed at his forehead with his free hand, feeling the beginnings of a bad headache starting behind his left eyebrow. He had to talk to Zoro, to actually talk, not just kick him to smithereens. He was too angry to do that, especially not soon. He would be too tempted to grab a kitchen knife and- no, he couldn't think about it. He knew the idea would appeal to him more if he thought about it.

Sanji slid his feet off the bench and repositioned himself so that the book was lying open flat on the table with his elbows on either side of it and his chin in his hands. He read a paragraph about one time when Luffy had decided to go swimming in his sleep. It would have been funnier, he thought, if Luffy hadn't remained in the hammock above him the whole time. It crossed his mind that he wouldn't be upset if Zoro had only read the bits like that.

Steam rattled the lid of the pot and Sanji watched it bounce around for a minute before standing up, crossing the room and turning off the stove. He moved the steamer off the pot of boiling water and onto the counter, not quite feeling like finishing everything just yet. He wanted a smoke, but he'd smoked a good handful in the span of a few short hours, and he didn't want to run out before they even left port.

His fingers tapped against the countertop without any particular rhythm. Routinely, Sanji made plates for everyone and laid the leftovers out in the middle of the table so anyone could get seconds without leaving their seats. He knew the ravenous Captain, if he wasn't asleep, would come bounding through the door at any moment looking for food, and he should probably tell him in advance so that he can prevent the door from being slammed off its hinges, but Sanji didn't feel like telling anyone dinner was ready just yet. He just wanted to sit down at the table and read his book and fume some more.

Just as Sanji reached for his book, the door opened. He looked up to see Chopper in the doorway. The doctor smiled. "Oh, good, you're done. How's your head?"

"It's fine." Sanji said simply, shrugging a shoulder. He picked up his book and held it under his arm, figuring he knew what Chopper was going to say next.

The doctor hesitated a moment, before saying, "You should rest, now. I mean, by all means, eat dinner with us, but just sit down. Try not to overdo it, okay?"

Sanji nodded, holding in a sigh. "Understood. Do me a favor, Chopper. Would you tell everyone that dinner's ready, please?" Sanji asked, smiling politely. He really didn't want to have to ask Chopper to do things for him, even small things like that, but turning around right after the doctor said to take it easy and starting the madness that was mealtime, well... it didn't sound like a smart idea.

Chopper nodded and skipped out the door, all too happy to help, while Sanji went over to the counter and hoisted himself up to sit beside the stove and wait. He wasn't really hungry, but it was his job to oversee everyone whilst they were in his kitchen. If he wasn't there hovering around the table, who was going to stop Luffy from taking all the food and shoving it into his over-sized mouth?

Moments later, everyone came piling into the kitchen, saying the various 'it looks good's and 'I'm starving's, as per usual. Everyone had asked Sanji in their own way about his head, and to each he responded, "I'm fine."

It was almost peculiar in how calm they all acted. Usually, the dining area would be full of noise, but it was what Sanji would consider as peaceful for the time being. He smiled at the table full of Nakama, before turning his eyes to his book, crossing his ankles and picking up reading at a random line that caught his eye.

* * *

><p>It was cold. And, breezy. Damn. He wanted to get a blanket, but he really didn't feel like moving. He had been comfortable. And, if he just fell back asleep, he wouldn't notice the cold. That's what he told himself, anyway.<p>

Zoro shivered rather violently and whatever had been holding him upright slid away so that he was lying on his side in a confusing texture. He didn't recognize it, at first, but eventually his tired mind put the pieces together and told him it was sand. He groaned and pushed himself up, his muscles achy and still half-asleep. He didn't want to wake up, but he didn't want to sleep out on the beach all night, either. It really didn't appeal to be cold and sandy.

He opened his eyes reluctantly and looked around. He could see rocky terrain lining bushes and trees behind and on either side of him. There were a few lights in the distance, ones like at the dock where the Merry was anchored. Zoro stood then, deciding that it wasn't too far to walk if he could still see the lights from the port. Hopefully, Zoro thought, everyone would be asleep by then. He couldn't tell what time it was, but, judging by his stomach, it was late enough that they should be going to bed, if not already asleep.

Stretching his tired limbs, Zoro began his long walk along the shoreline. A bit of a fog had settled over the water and Zoro could only just barely see it. It was dark and, had he been a weaker, more easily jostled man, scary. But, he wasn't scared. Anything that could possibly happen could be solved by his blades.

The stars were hardly visible through wispy clouds and Zoro could practically hear Nami in his head talking about bad omens. He didn't think too much about it. Clouds were clouds. He was just annoyed that he heard Nami, of all people, in his head. Zoro shook his head to clear away the voice, only to have it replaced by Sanji's voice. Damn him.

Zoro's boots sunk into the sand as he tried to walk faster. He didn't want to be by himself long enough to think about that 'incident' again. He'd almost calmed down. He could almost trust himself not to immediately slice the skin off the cook. And roast it. In his own frying pan. In any case, he shouldn't dwell too much on those thoughts. He could easily go from slightly annoyed to homicidal.

It took a while, Zoro couldn't be sure how long exactly, to reach the port. He still didn't see the Merry, but it had to be close. He had to keep walking. It was easier to walk, then, as he crossed from sand onto wood, then onto stone. The docks were quiet, except for the water slapping sound. He could see the tail-end of town from where he was, bright lights and the tiny silhouettes of people wandering around. He couldn't hear them, though.

The lighting grew sparse again, after only another few minutes of walking. Zoro hadn't seen the Merry. Did they leave without him? Certainly not. They wouldn't do that, no matter how much they blamed him for stuff that wasn't his fault. God forbid there be more than one dock.

Zoro stopped, mid-stride. He slapped his palm against his forehead. Of course. Every island they went to had more than one dock. Some even had three or four. Zoro had no idea how to gage how big the island was, how long he'd walked, or anything, really. He had a feeling he was going to have a long night, though.

Ussop was on watch that night, so, Sanji had gone to bed early. Not quite of his own volition, but, it was still nice. He kept his book with him, on his chest between him and the blanket. The bag of whatever new herb it was that Chopper had him taking was right below his hammock, next to half a glass of water. He was all set.

But, he couldn't sleep.

He was almost certain he knew why. He was so paranoid that someone was going to take his book. To read what should never be read. He couldn't let that happen again. No one had ever read his musings, and no one shall ever read them in future. Sanji cursed himself for being too sentimental to burn the damn book.

Something else Sanji noticed during his lack of sleep, Zoro had not yet returned to the ship. He hadn't been there to see him leave, but the others told him he had. Mostly, everyone had already forgiven and forgotten their little scuffle earlier. Sanji had convinced everyone it was just bad timing and a bad head rush. Of course Chopper knew better, but the doctor had easily forgiven Zoro for possibly triggering Sanji's headache. Sanji suspected that another Nakama or two knew better as well, but no one seemed angry. No one had really inquired about Zoro, though.

Well, no, Luffy had asked. Several times. He wanted everyone to have dinner together while he was feeling well, but he had been disappointed to find that Zoro had not returned in time for dinner. Sanji was a little curious about that, since Luffy had all but blown up on him and Zoro for fighting, then suddenly wanted them all to be like family. He supposed Luffy must not yet have a clean bill of health.

Sanji sighed. There was so much to worry about, all of the sudden. Sanji squirmed around in his clothes, trying to magically become comfortable, but nothing was improving. He took of his belt and his dress shirt, leaving himself in loose-fitting pants and an undershirt and still he wasn't comfortable. Eventually, he just decided to sit up.

His feet reluctantly touched the cold floor, sending a shiver all the way up his legs and through his spine. He pulled his shirt back on and did up as many buttons as he could patiently stand before he put on his jacket. Sanji left his book in the hammock when he stood, covering it up in his blanket so that it would be just a little bit harder to access. He didn't much mind, he supposed, since the truly incriminating material was in his pocket, but he still didn't want anyone to freely read his innermost thoughts.

Sanji rummaged through his pockets in search of his cigarettes, coming up empty. He didn't know if he'd searched the wrong jacket, or if he'd left them in the kitchen, or what, but whatever the reason, he was getting annoyed. He cursed quietly as he searched every article of clothing in sight. Finally, on the floor beside one of his best shirts, he spotted the carton and relaxed a little. He knew he must look like a crazy person, but he didn't care. He really needed to wind down a little.

He grabbed a cigarette and a lantern and made his way onto the deck, snagging a blanket as an after-thought. Up in the crow's nest, he could swear he heard snoring, though it had only been an hour or two since everyone turned in for the night. Ussop was doing a fantastic job of keeping them safe, he noted inwardly, snorting at the same time.

The sky was black as pitch, only a few stars visible. Sanji could see some thin clouds, but that was it. The lights in the port were just bright enough to blur the details of the night sky. That made Sanji a bit disappointed, but he hadn't gone up to see the night sky, so, he let his eyes back down to look at his hands. He twirled the white cylinder between his fingers for a bit, realizing how tired he was; he was far too entertained by playing with a cigarette.

Sanji wrapped the blanket he'd grabbed around his shoulders, not so much to warm up, but to keep off the breeze. He lit his cigarette and put it to his lips, almost too tired to smoke. Resting his elbows on the railing, Sanji watched what little of the town he could see. It seemed nice. Inviting. Not his kind of crowd, though. Zoro was probably there, he guessed. Drinking, fighting, who knew? He didn't suppose he should care, but he did think about it. What could one dumb Marimo have been doing for this long?

Sanji shuddered at the thought. Okay, he didn't really want to know how Zoro passed the time. He could guess whatever it was that he was doing was none of Sanji's business, so, he let it go. Instead, Sanji thought about what he would do the next day. They were only going to be on that island for another day after that, according to whomever Robin had asked about the Log Pose. He needed to get some spices. Maybe some things to make bread. It was hard to keep pre-made bread edible for very long at sea, so he built up a hankering for fresh bread.

For some reason, Sanji laughed. He wasn't sure why. It was just... funny. With all the things going on, he still had time to think about frugal things such as bread. He was strange, he knew, but thinking about food and cooking always helped.

Sanji stayed out in the chilly air long after his cigarette had gone to ashes. It was better out there. Not as stuffy. He didn't know when he started feeling cramped below deck, but it was nice being out in the open. His legs got stiff from lying in the same spot too long. God knows he couldn't let that happen. Thinking about it made him feel like he had to move.

He looked around, why, he wasn't sure, but then he walked over to the side of the ship where the rope ladder was hung and climbed down. The cook decided he wanted to take a walk. It was an idea without premeditation, or even a second thought. So, he believed it to be all his own, without even the slightest hint of curiosity or concern underlining the action.

* * *

><p>He must have been walking for ages. His feet and back were hurting from walking so long. If he could see the moon, he was sure it would have moved a lot in the time he'd been walking. Damn, he hated that word. Walking. It was stupid.<p>

Zoro stepped carefully across rugged stones. He'd stumbled upon some sort of cape, he guessed. He must be getting close because, honestly, he'd been going forever. Not that he didn't like the scenic island, really, he did, but it got old. Even his pass or two through the town had bored him. Where the hell was the Going Merry anchored?

He ran his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time. Zoro was completely frustrated with the whole ordeal, wanting to just get back and go to bed. He wouldn't care if he had watch, or, if he had to sleep above deck, or whatever, he just wanted to be back. He wanted to be able to relax. Goddammit all, he would even apologize if he could just find the fucking ship.

"Oi." Zoro's head snapped up at the word. He looked around, not seeing much of anything what with the black sky and the black rocks and the dark water. He was certain he'd heard a voice, actually heard it, and not hallucinated. But, just in case, he wouldn't call out to the unseen voice.

"Where the hell are you looking? I'm over here." To the left.

Zoro still didn't see anything. He knew it sounded like the cook, though. He would've kicked himself for having yet another annoying voice stuck in his head. He must be stark raving mad, he thought.

Suddenly, something touched his shoulders and Zoro reacted quicker than lightning, drawing his swords and whirling around in one motion. A big, light object fell to the ground by his feet and Zoro just stared at it. There was no one there. Zoro shook his head. He was too jumpy.

He sheathed his swords and bent down to pick up the object. It was cloth, fuzzy and kind of itchy feeling. A blanket, he knew. As soon as he finished assessing it, he shivered. Zoro hadn't realized he was cold until then. He picked up the blanket, wrapped one end around his shoulder, then used the other end to overlap the first on his chest and tucked the corner somewhere into the fabric. He warmed up almost instantly.

"You're welcome, Asshole." Sanji sneered, still invisible.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, fighting the urge to talk to what might be all in his head. Instead, he looked around over the rocky terrain, hoping he would see something. Someone. It occurred to him that the neon-yellow hair would stand out, even in the faintest light, so, he searched for it.

"Awfully dumb, aren't you?" Sanji teased.

Zoro heard rocks clacking against each other, but he didn't look in that direction. No sense in making himself look paranoid, or, God forbid, scared. Especially if the cook was actually there. He must be, Zoro figured. The swordsman had no cause to hallucinate. He didn't know why he had kept that as an honest possibility until then, but he trashed the thought as soon as the rational bit of his mind took over.

"Where the hell are you, Shit-cook?" Zoro growled, keeping his eyes forward and his hands on his swords.

A chuckle. "How about this? I'll show myself, if you tell me what all you read?" Sanji asked. His calm voice had a certain edge to it, Zoro could tell. He was still angry.

Zoro straightened up a little, his back popping a bit as he did so. "Still goin' on about that?" Zoro snorted. "It's just your diary, Princess, nothing of importance in there." Zoro could almost hear Sanji scowling at him. It made him smirk a little in satisfaction.

For a long moment, Sanji didn't say anything. Zoro almost thought he'd left or something. But, then he heard something. He couldn't decipher the sound. Not until the cook spoke again, "I suppose I'll be on my way, then. Me and my sense of direction." Sanji said, almost a sigh.

Zoro heard the rocks shift again and his jaw clenched. "Bastard." Zoro breathed. Somewhere in his mind, he hoped he could start an argument or a fight before the blonde got too far away, leaving Zoro to wander all night.

He couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. As far as he could tell, he was all alone. He even looked around, took a step away from the sharp edge of the cape. He couldn't see a damn thing, least of all a damn cook.

* * *

><p>Sanji had only stumbled across him by chance. Not too far off from the docks, even. He was inland, about twenty walking minutes to the left of the port, at an inlet, a cape. It was a dangerous looking place, precarious to walk on. But, there he was, stomping along like the jagged rocks and the vigorous waves made no difference. Typical Zoro.<p>

He'd watched him for a while, circling around on those black stones, inches away from falling off the edge of it all, into the restless sea. The urge to push him off into the restless sea had made Sanji's leg twitch. He wanted to kick him, he truly did, but having the man shredded by rocks and drowned in sea water wouldn't do. When Roronoa Zoro bit the dust, it would be at Sanji's hands, or, shoes, as it were.

He sighed when he realized he didn't want to kill Zoro. Well, he did, but not in a serious way. He probably wasn't even mad anymore, though he should rightfully be. Zoro invaded his privacy, multiple times, lied to him, insulted him, fought him, so, why in the name of all Hell wasn't Sanji mad?

The blonde had pulled off the blanket and almost called out to Zoro. Almost offered him the blanket, still warm from covering Sanji a moment ago. Almost. Instead, he paused to pull his jacket off. He draped it over his head and pulled it close, effectively shadowing his face. He buttoned the jacket so he had a free hand and tossed the blanket over Zoro, and then began his game. He didn't know when or why he made the decision, but it was just too damn fun. It was like Zoro couldn't see him. No, it wasn't 'like' Zoro couldn't see him. He was completely invisible, to Zoro, or anyone. Black pants, black shoes, black jacket, dark blue shirt. He'd taken all the necessary precautions by hiding his face and hair and shoving his hands in his pockets. Now, all that was left were the mind games.

Sanji had quickly grown tired of pretending he wasn't really there. He was getting nowhere by walking around Zoro, insulting him. So, he decided he'd get answers. He asked what Zoro had read, and Zoro had insulted him. His manners were for shit. Sanji was tempted, yet again, to kick him over the edge and point and laugh. But, he didn't. He grit his teeth and took a couple of deep breaths while he thought of something better to do.

Suddenly, as Sanji thought of another way to mess with Zoro without committing homicide, he laughed quietly. Zoro had frowned a little, probably confused by the sound. "I suppose I'll be on my way, then. Me and my sense of direction." Sanji said, feigning grief. He nudged a relatively small rock with his shoes and it tumbled, creating the sound he wanted.

He reveled in the expression Zoro made when he cursed. The look on his face was priceless. He was so dumb. He actually thought Sanji had left. Nope. The blonde had actually parked himself on a rock, up a few feet from where Zoro was. He rubbed his arms with his hands, watching Zoro look around like a lost puppy. He would've laughed if he didn't want Zoro to think he was already gone.

Zoro fumed for a while, staying in basically the same three-foot stretch or rock. "Just some weird stuff..." Zoro grumbled.

Sanji couldn't hold his laughter anymore and he had to put out his hands to balance himself. "What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, smirking when Zoro growled.

"Thought you were gone, you fucking bastard."

"Hm-hm," Sanji laughed with his lips pressed together. "Me too. So, what weird stuff did you read?"

Zoro narrowed his eyes at some random spot off to Sanji's right. "Stuff about us." Sanji stiffened. "The crew and all that. I remember something about Luffy being pregnant?" Sanji almost sighed when Zoro said that.

He straightened up after a second and cleared his throat. "That all?" Sanji asked, grinning again when Zoro seemed to think about it.

"Nah." Zoro said simply. He was scowling, but he wasn't even trying to look for Sanji anymore. Just, scowling at the distance.

"Well? Care to elaborate?" Sanji asked, somewhat impatient. His nerves were frayed at the ends and he was shaking in anticipation. And, also partly because it was cold. But, mostly anticipation. He had to know whether to be relieved or more pissed off.

Zoro took a few steps forward and looked around again. He was closer to Sanji. If he just reached out in front of him and a little to the left, he would feel Sanji's knee. But, it looked like Zoro still didn't know how close he really was. "Somethin' about..." Zoro paused, chewing on his lip. Sanji only had to wonder for a minute before figuring out that Zoro was probably thinking. "You in the kitchen. A dream, or something. I don't know! Nothing too strange. For you, anyway." Zoro sneered.

"And that's all?"

"... Yeah."

"Good." Sanji sighed silently. He put his hands down on the rock he was perched upon, and carefully slipped down to avoid ripping his pants. In the process, he shook his head so that his jacket fell down onto his shoulders. Immediately, Zoro looked at him and frowned.

The swordsman shook his head. "Now, where's the damn ship?" Zoro's voice was angry and tired. Sanji couldn't blame him. He'd been out all night, wandering like a chicken with its head cut off.

Sanji nodded in the direction of the port. "Follow me." He said. Any last traces of anger in him were too muddled to bring up. His dignity, privacy, nerves, the whole sha-bang. It was all safe. He would almost go so far as to say he was content.

Quietly and without argument, Zoro followed Sanji all the way back to the ship. Sanji let Zoro go up first and Zoro gave him a look when they were both on deck. "I thought you were pissed at me?" Zoro questioned, taking a somewhat defensive stance and raising an eyebrow.

Sanji wondered if he should hold that over Zoro's head. He had pretty much decided he wasn't angry, but Zoro would think that was strange. The freaking dumbass wouldn't even consider the fact that he was off the hook because he hadn't read anything that Sanji considered to be incriminating. Maybe he didn't care if Zoro thought he was strange. But it would save him one hell of a headache to just say he was still mad and not hear a second word about it.

"I am." Sanji assured him, nodding as he stepped around Zoro. He went down into the men's bedroom and left the door open, as something of a challenging invitation. As expected, Zoro followed. "Then why the hell did you come and get me?" Zoro asked, lowering his voice as he spotted Luffy and Chopper sleeping in their hammocks on opposite sides of the room.

"Figured you were drunk off your ass and chasing your tail." Sanji said without thought. After a second of analyzing the words, he nodded. They'd come out okay. Acceptable, he thought.

Zoro started to say something, and then paused, glancing again at the sleeping crew in the room. "I don't think you'd care about that!" Zoro whispered fiercely.

Sanji cast him a sidelong glance and grinned. He held his tongue when he thought of something comeback-ish to say, instead climbing into his hammock and replacing his book on his chest. He flapped the blanket to get it to spread nicely and dropped it haphazardly over his chilled form.

"What the fuck?" Zoro hissed. Sanji pointedly ignored him, closing his eyes and folding his hands over his book. He crossed his legs at the ankle and waited until Zoro got so frustrated he gave up. The swordsman plunked down on the sofa and rolled over so he was facing the cushions.

Zoro was grumbling to himself, something about crazy cooks. Sanji just kept his eyes closed and listened to the rant. He wanted to, just in case Zoro let slip something that he hadn't told Sanji earlier. To Sanji's utter surprise, he did.

"I'm fucking sorry, okay?" Zoro grumbled.

Sanji snapped his head in Zoro's direction, eyes wide open. Some random spot in his forehead pulsed painfully at the action, but it didn't de-rail his thought process. "You're what?" Sanji asked earnestly. Zoro stiffened and Sanji heard a stream of curses before Zoro finally raised his voice enough to be heard clearly. "I said it once. Don't make me regret it." Zoro threatened.

"I won't." Sanji said, smiling. His voice was far too soft, considering he was talking to Zoro, but he didn't really notice. "Thank you." Sanji mumbled. He wanted to show a positive reaction so that, maybe, Zoro would apologize more often. He likened the technique to something he heard from a lady, once. She'd been talking about training her dog, but it worked about the same for rude Marimo, right? Sanji let out a short laugh through his nose, only a brief moment before sleep overruled consciousness.

Zoro, however, did not go immediately to sleep. He turned over on the couch and looked over at Sanji, completely confused. That seemed to be the thing to do if you were Sanji. Zoro was getting awfully tired of being confused. He didn't even know how to fix it. That was the worst part.

The swordsman stayed up for another minute, wracking his brain on the matter, before he decided he was too tired for that. He fell asleep without removing his swords from the loop on his haramaki. When he woke up, though, he knew it had been for the best that he was still armed.

_"It's the Marines!"_

**Don't know if I had any stars in there... Ah, well, what's done is done! Not sure how I feel about the ending... Too much? Nyeh. That's okay.**

**Damn it all, I got so desperate while I was writing this! I wanted to have Sanji walk up to Zoro, grab him by the collar and kiss 'im 'til he's blue in the face! But, that wouldn't fit in anywhere... *cries in a corner* I know I need to get around to the romance aspect, but I need to have more development. Why am I addicted to development? WHY?**

**Lolz, okayreviewpleasebye!**

**NOTE: I had some trouble with the 'Paste from Word' button. It removed ALL MY GODDAMN FORMATTING. So, I had to redo the bolds, italics, and time passage, er, things. I apologize if some punctuation seems to be missing.**


	10. Something different

**Finally! I got my mega-slow ass in gear and finished this up! Let me tell you, I think this chapter is pretty frikkin' awesome. I'm not one to brag, but... I totally ROCK!**

**Several times during this chapter, I felt like you could read it, though... I haven't posted it until now, but, I could just picture the reviews I might get for certain scenes that you will read in the near future! *winkwink* And, without further ado- The (hopefully) well-anticipated tenth chapter!**

"Do you think they've seen us?"

"You guys, we can't fight the Marines here!"

"We can kick their asses any time any place!"

"Someone send that idiot back to bed!"

"There's another port on the other side of the island... Maybe we can go there?"

"Brilliant, Nami-swan~! Hoist the anchor, assholes."

Almost everyone was on deck, with the exception of Luffy, who was being led to his hammock by Ussop. The marine ship was very far away, merely a speck to the naked eye, but in no time they would be close enough to spot the Merry's unique bow. The lights in the city had gone off, though, giving them a fighting chance of not being spotted as they made their escape to the other port.

Zoro was stuck pulling up the anchor, cursing all the while. The marines just had fucking wonderful timing, those bastards. He was just starting to doze off, damn them. It was just fucking wrong. Why couldn't their damn 'justice' wait until daytime? The bastards. If they had been sighted, Zoro wouldn't mind kicking a few dozen asses.

The ship started to coast along slowly, being pushed by the waves. "Don't open the sail, it'll give us away!" Nami ordered, unraveling a map of the island. Sanji, who had started up the mast nodded. "Hai~ Nami-san." He said, smiling at her as he climbed up into the crow's nest. Ussop had abandoned the binoculars up there, after all, and someone needed to keep an eye on the marine ship, in case it showed any signs of pursuing them.

Sanji wiped the sleep from his eyes before holding up the binoculars in the general direction of the marine ship. He squinted and blinked, trying to focus on the ship. It looked like it had been through hell and back. He couldn't decide if that was a good sign or a bad one. The railing was broken up and it looked like the mast might've been patched up. The sails had tears in them and Sanji could swear it looked like the ship was lopsided. Definitely weird, but not necessarily dangerous.

"Looks like they've had some action pretty recently." Sanji called down, briefly glancing away from the marine ship to look down at Nami and Robin inspecting the map. Ussop appeared again out of the men's room. "That could be good! Maybe they'll just surrender?" Ussop suggested, looking hopeful. Zoro snorted at Ussop as he passed him. "Whatever. Let's just attack them head-on." Zoro said, thudding over to the side of the ship where the marine ship was most visible.

"You seem to be forgetting that we had some recent action, too!" Nami snapped, gesturing widely to the ship that looked like it had been ransacked by a bear. Zoro raised an eyebrow at her. "So what? I could take them." He said dangerously.

"If I wasn't afraid they'd break on your hard head, I'd throw these at you." Sanji called down, waving the binoculars where Zoro could see them. "Shut up, ero-cook! I just think-"

"Oh, God..." Ussop groaned, helpfully. Zoro glared at him as he continued, "I just think it would be better to beat those bastards and be done with it."

Robin shook her head. "Swordsman-san, I believe that would be very foolish. After all, last time did not go so well... perhaps we should avoid a fight where we can?" It sounded like a suggestion, but Zoro knew everyone else would agree with her. In the middle of the night, only a day or two after crazy stuff happened, he shouldn't feel so up to a fight as he did, but he couldn't help what he thought.

The Merry was slowly inching along the shoreline of the island, taking the route on the right side; because that was a little closer to the other port than if they went left. The clear view of the city disappeared behind a smattering of trees that became thicker as they sailed further around the island. The tree line receded further back into the island and the few feet of sand took up the space given by the trees. Zoro vaguely remembered crossing that area earlier in the night.

Sharp, jagged rocks grew out of the sand, eventually taking over the shoreline as they floated on, Chopper and Ussop rowing one oar and Zoro rowing the other, while Nami and Robin navigated and Sanji kept watch. "They're still heading straight... I don't think they've seen us. Seem to be in a bit of a hurry, though." Sanji mused, mostly to himself. No one replied or commented, but they didn't have to. They were already doing their jobs.

The cook squinted through the binoculars at a form standing on the foremost point of the marine ship. It was dark, and he could only just make out the person's outline, with help from the few on-deck lanterns. The figure looked drenched and Sanji wondered why he would be out there. Obviously, the man wasn't a mere deckhand, if Sanji were to go on his outfit. It was relatively formal-looking, white and pristine, aside from whatever was soaking it.

"Sanji, what's going on? You haven't said anything in a while." Ussop observed. Sanji startled out of his thoughts and looked down. Robin and Nami were looking up at him expectantly. "Oh, uh... forgive me, Nami-san, Robin-chwan, just... lost in thought. I only see one guy on the foredeck... he's just standing at the bow, not moving." Sanji reported, glancing through the binoculars again and seeing the figure was still in the same spot.

"That's weird. He's gonna catch a cold." Chopper said, sounding concerned. "My heart breaks for him and all, Chopper, but I don't think he'll accept your health advice." Sanji called down, without looking away from the solitary shadow. Chopper mumbled something that may have been a reply, but Sanji didn't hear it.

"Any other ships?" Nami asked, her heels thunking against the wood as she crossed the deck. Sanji looked left and right over the black water and hummed. Suddenly, he spotted it, a slightly smaller, and damaged-looking marine ship. "Oh! One other ship and it's in worse shape. Little smaller, too."

Something struck him odd about those ships and Sanji lowered the binoculars to frown at the ships. He couldn't figure out what it was before they'd floated far enough around the island that trees and sharp black rocks blocked their view of the ships. Sanji cursed under his breath and climbed down onto the deck. He shook his head for everyone to see, saying, "Can't see them anymore."

Half the crew sighed with relief and any and all urgency to get to the other side of the island faded significantly. The Merry still rocked steadily forward on the waves, but Nami relaxed and Ussop and Chopper abandoned their oar. Robin and Zoro, however, seemed to be on-guard still. "What's wrong, Robin-chwan?" Sanji asked.

The archaeologist blinked at him and then smiled slightly. "Nothing gets past you, Cook-san." She said kindly. "I... am not sure why I would feel this way, but I believe we are not yet in the clear." Sanji was confused, but, thinking about it, he realized he had a similar feeling about the situation. "Mm. Yeah, I think so, too." Sanji said, nodding.

"Will you two shut up!" Ussop shouted, pulling at his hair. "Don't friggin' jinx it! You never mention the bad feeling or bad stuff actually happens!" The long nose ranted, knees shaking slightly. Sanji thought he was just making a mountain out of a molehill, but that's what sleep deprivation does to people, he decided.

"_What's going on? Can I get out of bed yet?_" Luffy called from below, making most everyone jump. They'd almost forgotten he was even awake, since he had been so quiet up until then. "Uh, sure. Come to the sitting area in the galley, please." Chopper said, trotting over to the door and letting Luffy out of the men's room.

"Phew! Can there be a fight now? I wanna fight. Please let me fight?" Luffy babbled, seeking the doctor's approval. Chopper shook his head, frowning. "No, nobody's going to fight, remember? We're avoiding the marines for the time being."

Luffy pouted dramatically as Chopper steered him towards the kitchen. "Aww~! Well, if I can't fight, then that damn cat sure as hell can't!" Luffy grumbled crossing his arms and sticking his tongue out at something unseen. As Chopper pushed Luffy into the kitchen, he told him that the cat would not be fighting for much longer.

Sanji just shook his head at them, even after the door swung shut behind them. Luffy was really out of it. Despite the physical ability to be up and about, he was not fit to be. Sanji wondered how long it would be before their Captain was better, then he remembered Chopper's original diagnosis, through Robin's mouth, heavy as it had been the first time; "About a month."

The cook sighed and went for a cigarette, thinking of earlier that evening, when he had had to search for his cigarettes. This time, though, he had the carton in his pocket, right off hand. For whatever reason, Sanji felt that it was some sort of a sign, and not necessarily a good one. But, he wasn't any kind of authority on the matter of omens, so he just shrugged and lit up.

* * *

><p>Zoro took the long way around to go to bed, so that no one would accuse him of being lazy. Which, he wasn't; he was just tired. He went down through the hatch in the storage room to the girls' room and through the door in the wall to the men's room from there, making sure to close both hatches behind himself.<p>

The swordsman purposely left his weapons attached to his haramaki so that if and when the marines grew a brain, (A solitary, singular brain for the lot of them), and figured out that the Straw hats were, in fact, on the same island as them, he would be ready.

Zoro fell into a hammock sideways, settling in on top of a blanket somebody had left there. He closed his eyes and sighed through his nose and emptied his mind. But, that didn't last long.

He kept picturing something that he was sure he wasn't supposed to be thinking about, especially when they were in such a tight situation what with the marines so close by. He kept thinking of Sanji's grin from earlier, his soft voice when Zoro had apologized. His short, content laugh before he'd fallen asleep. Zoro didn't know why, but he just couldn't stop his brain. His thoughts paired with a painful feeling somewhere in his chest made him think it was shame. He shouldn't have apologized.

He could hear Sanji's laugh again and again and his chest tightened further. He turned over in the hammock and buried his face in the pillow, shaking his head to try and make the sound go away. All it did was start him on creating an image to go along with the gentle voice and the laugh. Nothing he thought of seemed right, though.

Zoro ground his teeth together and tossed and turned, trying to just go to sleep and tell his mind to shut up. But, that didn't work. He could've kicked his stupid brain for thinking stupid irrelevant things. He only wanted to go below deck to sleep, not to be alone with the echoes of thoughts that he didn't ever want to think. The World's Greatest Swordsman wasn't supposed to spare a single non-violent thought towards the World's Most Annoying Ero-Cook.

Zoro sighed, realizing his mind had started to calm slightly. He could feel the blackness reverberating around inside his skull as thoughts of Sanji faded and whatever had been tight in his chest unfurled. He was initially relieved, but something in him started to miss the ache. Zoro ignored it and focused on keeping his mind empty, like he did during training. It wasn't ideal, but it worked.

He slept peacefully for a while, in his favorite kind of sleep; light, still partially alert sleep. It was nice, dreamless, just the way he wanted it to be. Then, he could hear something. It caused images to pop up in his mind to go along with the partial conversation he was hearing. Zoro was looking through binoculars, seeing a good place to hide the ship. He saw the sun was starting to come up, heard that breakfast would be started in a minute.

Zoro opened his eyes as if he hadn't just been sleeping. He could barely see straight, but he sat up anyway. He wasn't exactly sure why he woke up, but he figured he'd slept long enough. Zoro didn't know what time it was when he went to sleep, so, he could only guess that he'd been sleeping for about three hours, judging by the sun.

The hatch opened before Zoro could fully swing his legs over the edge of the hammock, and Ussop peeked down. He barely glanced at Zoro, instead looking past him, and then he let the hatch drop quietly. "_Luffy's still asleep. Oh, and Zoro's in there_."

The swordsman looked over his shoulder at the sleeping lump of red and blue that was the Captain. He hadn't remembered about Luffy being sent to bed. Oh, well. Zoro slipped out of his hammock, noticing that he'd slept in his boots and deciding to take them off. The second his first empty boot hit the floor, the hatch opened again.

Shiny black shoes stepped down the ladder carefully, revealing long black legs and hands in pockets, an immaculate blue pinstripe shirt, and finally a curtain of blonde hair. Zoro wasn't sure why he paid so much attention, but the cook kept him from thinking too hard on it by speaking. "Oi. Get your lazy-ass, moss ball-self into the kitchen! You're gonna help clean up."

Zoro glared at him. "Why do I have to? I didn't fucking_ do_ anything!" Zoro defended, pulling off his other boot and relatively throwing it to the ground. Sanji narrowed his eyes at Zoro, raising a curly eyebrow. "Because, the kitchen was invaded by a certain Monkey last night, while I was out rescuing your sorry ass. Therefore, as I see it, you are partially at fault." Sanji stated, blandly.

"Nobody asked you to come get me, shit-cook!" Zoro growled, minding his volume a bit when Luffy snorted in his sleep from somewhere behind him. Sanji sucked in a breath through his teeth and his hand jerked towards his head suddenly, his expression pained.

Zoro slid out of the hammock and towards Sanji, reaching out as if there were something he could really do. The blonde put up a hand to stop him and shook it fiercely. His head was hung, but he could still look at Zoro, grimacing. Sanji looked like he was going to say something, but he just ground his teeth together and stomped out. The feeling in Zoro's chest resurfaced and he took a step towards following the cook when a thought passed through his mind.

_What the hell was he doing?_

He couldn't do anything to help Sanji's head, so, why? Certainly, he didn't feel bad? No, he was fairly certain he didn't even pity the cook, let alone sympathize. He wouldn't follow him. Because, after all, cleaning up the kitchen wasn't his job, since he hadn't asked the blonde to come after him, leaving the kitchen unattended. He wasn't curious, he didn't even care. Not even a little bit.

Zoro sat back down on the edge of the hammock and stared at the hatch. He felt like he couldn't breathe all of the sudden, like the twisting in his chest had curled around his lungs. He wasn't sure why it did that. Suddenly, he felt exhausted and like he couldn't sleep at the same time. He didn't know what to do, then. He'd never felt any of those things before. Zoro didn't know what to do about it, but he certainly knew who to blame.

* * *

><p>Sanji swallowed the last few sips of his tea and felt the ache in his head receding. The second he felt that stabbing pain, he decided that he knew the cause. It wasn't necessarily, Zoro, even though it was always caused by him. It just happened when he got irritated. Like really pissed off.<p>

The pain in his head was reduced to a dull thudding; nothing he couldn't handle. Sanji glanced around at the kitchen and sighed. It was going to be a long day. Perishable items were strewn everywhere, spilled, wasted, and unusable. Drawers of silverware and such were abruptly dumped, out of the middle of nothing. Several bottles of good expensive wine were lying around, two of them broken and leaking. It made him want to weep.

He took a breath and prepared himself for a very long day, running on very little sleep. He bent down to pick up a container of a meat and rice dish that was meant to be someone's lunch when the door opened forcefully. Hearing the heavy, angry footsteps, Sanji decided he didn't need to look up. He knew who it was and, even though he was surprised that Zoro decided to come help him, he wasn't going to make a fuss.

Suddenly, Sanji was yanked up by the front of his shirt and pushed back into the stove top. He looked up with wide eyes, staring at Zoro's enraged face. "Wha-"

"What are you doing to me?" Zoro growled, shaking Sanji violently and causing his eyes to widen further. The blonde shook his head and started stumbling over his response, but Zoro silenced him by pushing him again so that his back hit the counter.

The cook winced at the impact and glared at Zoro. "What the hell are you going on about? I didn't do anything, bastard!" Sanji spat, trying to pry the fist off his previously-wrinkle-free shirt. "Let go of me, stupid moss!" Sanji shouted, kicking Zoro in the leg as best he could, whilst also being pinned to the countertop.

Zoro barely seemed to register the blow, instead getting in Sanji's face. "I don't know what you did, but it's messing me up! Stop it, or I'll chop your skinny ass into pieces!" Zoro threatened, his voice low. Sanji had heard many threats before, especially from Zoro, but it seemed much more uncalled for in the situation that he was in. He hadn't done anything, he was absolutely sure. Why the hell would Zoro blame him for something he hadn't done?

"I didn't do anything, fucking Marimo, but if you don't get the hell away from me fast, I'm going to change that." Sanji countered setting his jaw and bracing his hands on the countertop. If Zoro wanted a fight, Sanji would give him one. Or, two. Or, nine.

Zoro was seething, his breathing getting harder and his mouth about to throw out another insult or threat, but then he just stopped. His eyes were no longer glaring holes through Sanji's eyes, which surprised the cook, because Zoro didn't have any kind of problem with eye-contact. But, he was looking elsewhere. He'd stopped breathing and the fist curled in Sanji's shirt loosened slightly. Sanji was sure he must be having some sort of mental episode and was about to try to get the swordsman away from him, when Zoro started breathing again suddenly and dropped his hand from Sanji's shirt.

"Goddamn it, Zoro, what the hell's wrong with you?" Sanji groaned, looking at the mess where he'd, apparently, though he hadn't noticed it happen, dropped the container of meat and rice. The grains of rice had spread themselves to the far corners of the earth, it seemed, and the meat somehow managed to splatter every which-way.

Sanji looked back to Zoro and was startled by his closeness. "What the-? Back up, idiot." Sanji ordered, pushing Zoro's solid shoulders. He hardly budged at all, almost like he was leaning into the touch. "Will you just-!" Sanji started, frustrated and overcome by the need to clean up his kitchen.

Zoro was looking off somewhere, frowning, apparently not having heard a word Sanji was saying. His fists were clenched at his sides, his right hand intermittently opening and flexing toward his swords before returning to his side. "... 'M sorry." Zoro bit out, turning abruptly and stalking around the room like he didn't know where to go.

Sanji took a deep breath of Zoro-less air and pushed off of the counter. "Whatever. Grab a broom, shitty-swordsman." Sanji huffed, feeling an odd sense of disappointment. He had wanted to fight, he supposed. He hadn't thought he had wanted to fight, but it'd been a while since their last knock-down drag-out brawl.

Zoro didn't grumble about being insulted, or even about having to clean up. He just picked up the broom from one corner of the kitchen and got to work sweeping up all the spilled food, carefully avoiding the puddles of wine and piles of eating utensils. Sanji stared for a minute, completely baffled by everything Zoro had been doing recently, before he took to putting away the bottles of wine and cleaning up the liquid spills from the floor.

"You're surprisingly good at cleaning up messes. For a plant, anyway." Sanji commented, watching Zoro dump the dirt-covered, wasted food into the trash. Zoro turned to glare at him and Sanji just grinned. It was a compliment, after all, not meant to be taken as an insult, even if it was disguised as one. Zoro stared at him a second, looking to be caught between confused and offended. "Che." Zoro scoffed, sweeping up another pile of rice.

Sanji shook his head at the swordsman as he finished sopping up the wine mess and wringing out the mop in the sink. The cook picked up all the silverware and dumped it in the sink, creating an awful clattering sound. Zoro glanced over at him, pausing briefly in his sweeping. Sanji guessed he was startled by the sound, so, he shrugged in a vaguely apologetic manner and turned back to the task at hand.

Washing all the forks and spoons and knives took nearly an hour. Zoro had stayed in the kitchen the whole time, even though it didn't take nearly as long to wipe up a bunch of rice. He hadn't offered to help with anything else, which was irksome, but Sanji already figured he wouldn't get much help out of Zoro. He was almost to the point of sending him away if it weren't for his own need to figure Zoro out.

That scene earlier plagued Sanji's mind, causing him to look over his shoulder at Zoro. He had to admit, he was a little scared at that time. Mostly because Zoro was too close for him to land any effective blows, but also because the swordsman seemed out of his head. Sanji knew Zoro was strange, but randomly accusing the cook of doing something, that neither of them knew what it was, nonetheless, and then threatening him? It just didn't add up.

Sanji would've asked the swordsman directly what was wrong, but he didn't want another outburst like earlier, so he kept his mouth shut. Honestly, Zoro usually had pretty dumb and obvious reasons for the stupid stuff he did, but Sanji couldn't see this one. He wracked his brain in search of some wisp of a recollection of accidentally kicking one of Zoro's swords while it was lying on the ground, or making an especially cruel comment on his fighting skills, or something, but he couldn't think of anything. Nothing recent, anyway. If it was something a day old or older, he would kick Zoro's ass for bringing it up when he did, the way he did.

A creak in the wood made Sanji look over at Zoro again as he started working on breakfast. Zoro was lying flat on his back on one of the benches at the table, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed and eyebrows furrowed. Sanji raised a curly eyebrow at him. "You better not be sleeping at my kitchen table." He threatened, putting a pan on the stove less-than-gently for *Tamagoyaki.

A muscle in Zoro's arm twitched and the corners of his mouth turned down into a frown. "It's not just your kitchen, shitty-cook." Zoro growled, readjusting slightly, but not opening his eyes.

"It is since I'm the one who cooks in here, cleans in here, works in here... Hell, I should sleep in here," Sanji said, shrugging. "You, on the other hand, don't have the right. If you're gonna go to sleep, sleep below deck."

"I can sleep wherever the hell I want to." Zoro argued, crossing his arms more firmly, but still not opening his eyes.

Sanji didn't reply. He could feel the rhythmic stabbing behind his right eye that signaled the start of a headache and he had to stop himself from just snapping at Zoro until he left the kitchen. The tolerable stabbing became a painful pounding as Sanji started thinking that Zoro never listened to him, and that he just wanted to piss Sanji off. The cook steadied himself on the counter and took deep breaths but it wasn't helping.

-~Switching~-

Zoro cracked an eye open to look at the suspiciously-quiet cook. He was just standing there, head down, hands gripping the counter so hard his knuckles were white. "Shit... shit!" Sanji cursed, his rigid frame becoming even more still than it had been. After a long couple of moments, Sanji started breathing heavily.

The feeling resurfaced in Zoro's chest, leaping up from his feet and into the back of his throat. Zoro stood and went over to Sanji before he really knew what he was doing, or even what he was going to do. "Oi! Wh-"

"Justgetthehellout!" Sanji slurred, gesturing violently towards the door. The mystery feeling swirled around in Zoro's gut at hearing that, causing his jaw to tighten and his frown to deepen. "Tell me where the stuff Chopper gave you is." Zoro ordered in a relatively level voice.

Sanji's knees started to shake and he sunk down to the ground, holding his head such that Zoro couldn't see his face. "You have to tell me what to do so I can fucking help you, idiot!" Zoro said, considerably less calm than he had been a moment ago.

The cook made a sound like a pained laugh. "Ialreadydid!" He hissed through his teeth, curling in on himself. Zoro was about to argue, but then he recalled what Sanji had said; "Justgetthehellout!"

Zoro sprang up from where he had been kneeling beside the cook, even though he didn't remember getting there in the first place, and darted out the door. He called for Chopper and everyone looked at him, but nobody said anything as Chopper hurried into the kitchen, backpack in tow, quickly followed by Zoro.

Chopper flew to Sanji's side and put his hooves over Sanji's hands on his head. "What happened?" Chopper asked, sounding very professional and serious as he dug through his bag. Zoro shook his head. "I have no idea. The shitty-cook just started holding his head like that!" Zoro gestured towards Sanji and Chopper gave him a disapproving look, before turning back to his bag and pulling out a glass jar of herbs.

Sanji whispered something that Zoro couldn't hear from his spot by the door and Chopper's eyes widened. The doctor's head snapped in Zoro's direction and he frowned. "Leave, now!" He ordered. Zoro started to dispute, but Chopper shouted, "NOW!"

Left with no room to argue, Zoro exited the room with one last look at the blonde head bowed in pain. He felt like breaking something. A lot of things. He thought he should leave the ship and go do some intensive training to regain control over his temper, but the crew intercepted him before he could leave.

"What's going on? Is Sanji-kun okay?"

"Zoro, you d-d-didn't k-k-k-ki-i-ill him, d-d-did you?"

Robin stood back behind the other two, silent, but still asking just as much.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at them. "I don't know." He said venomously, glaring a bit. "Something with his head, something none of us can see or help." Zoro turned to Ussop and his expression evened out into a dark fury. "And, what makes you think I killed him?" He asked, challengingly.

The long nose gulped and stuttered until he finally settled for scurrying off to hide somewhere. Nami huffed at Zoro, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. "My God, you're awful. You don't _know_? How could you not _know?_ Didn't you ask him? Or Chopper?"

Zoro side-stepped Nami and ducked down into the men's room to retrieve his boots. The navigator yelled about him not walking away from her when she was interrogating him, something about a heavy fine, but he wasn't paying much attention. He needed to get away.

* * *

><p>"Because you got upset?" Chopper asked, interrupting Sanji's explanation. The blonde nodded, holding his head with one hand and holding himself up with the other. "Yeah. Zoro wasn't helping me, and then we were arguing and my head started pounding."<p>

The little reindeer nodded, looking like there was something he wanted to say, but instead he just mixed up an herbal tea for Sanji. The cook noticed Chopper's expression and asked, "What's on your mind?"

The doctor began to deny that he was thinking about anything of importance, but he ended up blurting out what he had been thinking of; "What were you arguing about? I mean, if it was serious enough to... incapacitate you, I would like to know what it was."

Sanji took a deep breath and frowned. "It wasn't necessarily... the argument. Of course I was pissed at him for arguing with me, but the worst part came from my own thoughts..." Sanji trailed off as Chopper handed him the steaming cup of tea. The cook swallowed a large amount of tea in one gulp and sighed. The herbs weren't helping very much.

Chopper gave him a questioning look, hoping he would continue, but Sanji closed his eyes and gave a small but determined shake of his head. He wasn't going to say. The doctor frowned. "I could probably help you more, if I knew-"

"No. It really isn't possible. Besides, you're already being so helpful. You needn't worry about me, I'll be fine." Sanji said, smiling. His head was still pulsing painfully, but the herbal assistance did help him a bit. It was exactly what he needed so that he could get breakfast done and go take a nap.

The doctor finished his hovering a few minutes later, after inquiring about his scratches and his head three more times. As Chopper made to leave the kitchen, Sanji stopped him with a request; "I'm sure that damn swordsman's gone off somewhere to pout and fume, but, if you see him, could you send him to me, please?"

"Uh, s-sure...?" Chopper said, pausing in the doorway just long enough to catch Sanji's smile and his head shaking. Something was definitely up.

* * *

><p>After six hours of business-as-usual around the ship, Sanji decided Zoro wasn't going to turn up any time soon, so, he left the ship with a pocket full of money. It was early in the afternoon, still, and he had some serious shopping to do after the kitchen raid. Plus, he could look for Zoro.<p>

He did have his reasons, but even the ones he'd decided were good enough to go on were a little hazy. Sanji knew he had to ask Zoro about what happened that morning, whether or not he felt like being the target of a possibly-violent psychotic meltdown. He did have some explaining to do himself, anyway. He didn't know why, but he felt like things would get better if Zoro knew how and why Sanji's headaches triggered. Maybe he would even care enough to avoid pissing the cook off.

The path to town was a good bit longer from their new position at the back of the island. It took Sanji at least ten minutes of walking on a boarded path to come across the lamps that were so easily seen on the other side of the island, and another five minutes after that to see any buildings whatsoever. The first few buildings he saw were interspersed between thick patches of ivy-covered trees, and all of them were little houses. It was such a quiet area, he kept wondering if he had accidentally gone to a different island.

Sanji couldn't hear the town yet, even though he was sure business must be in full swing. He couldn't imagine the island being big enough, the town being far away enough, for him not to be able to hear anything. He couldn't even hear people or birds or insects. Not a thing, except for the waves.

Suddenly, Sanji was jerked to the side by his sleeve, causing him to fall through a thick curtain of ivy and land heavily against a tree trunk. Before he could do anything, a hand was placed over his mouth and a quiet voice breathed into his ear; "Shh. The marines are close by."

The cook rolled his eyes, pulling the hand away from his mouth. "I swear to God, I will kill you, you fucking bastard." Sanji threatened, trying to turn around and realizing there was an arm around his waist, too.

Zoro shifted behind Sanji, keeping a hold around his midsection and a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me; you want to wait them out." He whispered. A moment later, heavy, frequent footsteps stomped past, accompanied by shouting of orders. "I think they know we're here."

Sanji pushed away from Zoro and tried to get out of the little tree-cave they were in. "Let go! We have to warn the others and move the ship!"

"Shh! Just, listen to them, okay?" Zoro hissed, clamping his hand over Sanji's mouth again and holding it there with crushing strength. The footsteps thundered past again and came to a halt not three feet away from where they were hidden. "Anything?" An angry, severe sounding voice. "Nothing, sir, not yet, sir!" A scared-sounding, weak voice stated formally.

A horrible growling sound caused Sanji to jump and Zoro held onto him tighter, telling him to just listen. "Find those little shits! They couldn't have gotten far! The storm ripped everything apart, and they don't even have a ship!" And, with that, the footsteps trampled away again, leaving an echoing silence behind them.

The cook's eyebrows drew together. _Don't have a...?_ He turned his head towards Zoro, barely spotting him out of the corner of his eye. Sanji pointed to the hand over his mouth and shook his head and Zoro let go of him. "They think we don't have a ship? And, somehow, they think it's possible to survive a storm like that without a ship?" Sanji questioned quietly and Zoro nodded.

"I don't know why they think that, but it works to our advantage." Zoro said, shrugging slightly. Sanji smirked. "Yeah, it kind of does. Well, it'll make it harder to go shop... but, we should be able to handle it." Sanji commented, happy that at least one thing hadn't gone horribly wrong.

"We will still have to tell the others, though, as soon as they move on from this place." Zoro said, craning his neck to look around the ivy. Sanji agreed and tried to take a step forward, realizing then that Zoro still had his arm around Sanji's waist. Sanji almost mentioned it, but Zoro pulled his arm away quickly, causing Sanji to look up at him with a confused expression. The swordsman looked like he'd just been caught singing at the top of his lungs.

"What the hell?" Sanji asked. "Am I that disgusting?"

Zoro's mouth opened and closed several times, an uncharacteristic speechlessness taking him over. Sanji frowned at him and tossed aside the ivy curtain. "Whatever. I've got shopping to do, so you should get back to the ship and tell the others about the marines." Sanji said, without looking back or even stopping.

Something in him said he shouldn't leave. He chalked it up to not wanting to encounter a bunch of angry marines, but he knew it had to be something else. He was as brave as they come, smart and strong, so, he sure as hell wasn't scared of the marines. So, what was giving him that weird feeling?

*** Tamagoyaki - Literally 'fried egg'. It's an omelette! They actually look really nice, if you feel like looking up traditional Japanese breakfast.**


	11. Marines, Marines, Marines!

**Guess what? Oh, that's right. I finally updated this story! Wai~ Wai~ NineSoul is actually doing something productive while she sits on her ass all day! Honestly, I don't know when you can expect the next update. This story takes so much concentration (a thing I don't have).**

**Anyway, thanks to Llanyia for betaing again. It came out pristine as always~**

The market in town was quiet. Sure, there were people there, but everyone seemed on-edge. The vendors' smiles looked more fake than usual, and their relatively small crowd of clientele were eerily silent and stoic. The bright colors and whimsical buildings that had been uplifting yesterday were nothing of the sort less than twenty-four hours later.

Sanji trod carefully, catching the eyes of more than a few people as he passed. Damn. What had the Marines told them? Whatever it was must have been along the lines of "give up the pirates or suffer the consequences!"

The cook stopped at a few stands for dry goods and produce, but he really didn't need too much stuff. He had changed his mind about buying all the food they needed, anyway. He needed to get some things for cleaning and for basic upkeep, and then he was done for the day. Ussop had gotten gunpowder and ropes the other day, so he didn't have to get that stuff, but there was always more to get. He readjusted the straps of the paper bags in the crook of his elbow and put his hands in his pockets, starting towards the part of the island that was for ship-oriented equipment, as directed by multiple signs.

Briefly, Sanji thought Zoro would still get lost, despite the signs. He almost laughed. But, then he remembered he was annoyed with the stupid swordsman. Being so fucking annoying and not listening to him and being... plant-ish. Just, damn him.

Sanji realized he was being a little ridiculous then, not because he was still fuming about Zoro not listening to him (he would always be fuming about that), but because he was also upset about earlier in that little tree-cave. When Zoro had let go of him so suddenly, as if he were on fire. That was what was ridiculous.

He should've been mad that Zoro was touching him in the first place, not that he had stopped. But, Sanji couldn't convince himself that that was why. After an unnerving amount of time, he didn't even care to convince himself that he wasn't just upset about Zoro acting like he was offensive, he just wanted to not be thinking about it. Anything else, anything at all, would be better.

"You three, check that way! You tw- no, not you! You there! And, you and you, go left!"

"YES, SIR!"

Sanji heard the clattering footsteps of armed Marines running around and he ducked under a low-hanging eave. A middle-aged man who was sweeping the street glanced at him warily and Sanji just inched further into the shadows. A group of three Marines marched through, rifles in hand. One of them stopped and asked the man sweeping the street if he'd seen any suspicious-looking people. The other two split up and started checking behind and inside barrels of various things.

The cook held his breath as the man with the broom looked at him again, briefly. "No, sorry. Can't say as I've seen too many pirate-types," the man said smoothly. The Marine questioning him hesitated a moment, studying the man harshly under the brim of his hat. "Very well, then. Have a good day, sir," the Marine said, and the other two joined him as he marched further down the street and out of sight.

Sighing, Sanji nodded his thanks to the man with the broom, who nodded in return, and then he slipped away into the shadows of buildings. He had to be more careful. A run-in with the Marines wasn't something he wanted to chance.

Hurriedly, Sanji bought a few things that looked like they would serve as helpful towards the repair of the ship, like glue and sandpaper. His arm strength was maxing out quick, though. He needed to find his way back to the ship.

Marines shouted about something to his right, past a row of shops. He knew they were Marines because they spoke with a unique attitude, and aside from that, they kept saying "sir." Somebody spotted a suspicious person sleeping in the middle of the street, according to one of them. Sanji put his face in his hands. _Please, God, don't let it be Zoro_, he thought indignantly. And then another Marine added that the suspicious person had green hair.

Sanji cursed under his breath and listened for a location. Towards the eastern coast, a Marine had said, and Sanji started running towards the east. He rolled his eyes, remembering that they had originally been anchored at the eastern dock. Leave it to Zoro.

As he hurried down the cobblestone street, he wondered briefly if he really needed to help the shitty swordsman. He probably shouldn't, since Zoro was trying his level best to ruin Sanji's life, but he wouldn't be any happier about a rescue mission later. _The idiot probably hasn't even told the others about the Marines yet._

He had been close to the north side of the island before, Sanji knew, so it wouldn't take him long to reach the eastern coast. The bags he was carrying bumped against his legs as he ran, occasionally hitting a pre-existing bruise, so he hoped "wouldn't take long" was indeed as promising as he thought.

Townspeople gave him weird looks as he passed, forgetting to stay in alleys and shadows. He didn't care, really. If they were going to report him to the Marines, they would have already done so, since he had just been shopping for an hour in plain sight. He could handle it, he decided, if Marines came after him while he was on his way to Zoro.

When he reached the coast line, Sanji stopped for a breather. He couldn't hear the town anymore, or the Marines, so he assumed he was safe for the time being to just slow down. The cook switched the bags he was carrying up to his shoulders, instead of on his forearms and elbows. He rubbed at his arms a moment before starting to walk along the point where sand overlapped onto wood.

oOo

_Seagulls._

_Fucking Sea-rats._

_So annoying. Go away._

The incessant squawking of birds he wished were extinct drove Zoro away from the brink of sleep. He cracked an eye open, trying to spot the offensive birds, only to be blinded by the sun. He groaned and turned his head away from the light. Where the hell was he? He didn't know. Somewhere near the ship, he hoped.

Zoro yawned, stretching his arms out from where they had been folded under his head. He ought to try again to find the ship. He was pretty damn tired of people moving stuff on him, so he'd stopped to take a rest and ended up sleeping. Well, as much as one could sleep on solid pavement with birds cawing endlessly over one's head.

The swordsman sat up easily and looked around, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't see any buildings from where he was. The deserted stone path that he was lying on led up and over a hill, clear out of view. On either side of the wide path was a mixture of sand and grass that led into trees. Truly, the middle of nowhere. But, at the visible end of the stone path, towards the ocean, there was another path, a wooden one, sprinkled with sand. It looked like a dock, only it wasn't out in the water. It was just a walkway dividing stone and sand.

He looked between the wood and the stone for a second, then shrugged. One or the other, didn't matter. Zoro stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants before starting down the wooden path. It seemed like a nicer path anyway.

As he made his way along the beach, Zoro noticed that the sun was setting. It was still plenty bright, but out over the ocean to his left, the sky was tinted purple and blue. In another hour or so, it would be dark. He really didn't mind being out in the dark, but he figured it would be more dangerous with the Marines milling about. Not that a fight would affect him terribly, he just didn't want to deal with them.

Zoro could hear the indistinct murmur of voices from where he was and guessed that the town must be close. It didn't matter, he decided. Going through town would get him noticed too easily. If he came back across that quiet, shrouded place from earlier that afternoon though, he would probably cut through there.

"There! Look!"

Someone was shouting. Zoro hadn't seen any people close by, but he hadn't really been paying attention. He didn't care to look and see whatever was being pointed out, so he kept walking, focused on getting back to the ship.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!"

_They couldn't be talking to me?_ Zoro wondered, narrowing his eyes at the thought. No, if someone were talking to him, they would call him out as a swordsman. Plus, probably no one on the island was bold enough to call him out.

"Shiiit!"

That one, Zoro knew, was something he should pay attention to. He looked around, searching for the source of that familiar voice. He couldn't see anyone on the slope up to the island or on the wooden path behind him. But, he could hear heavy footsteps, thundering as they would on planks, rather than slapping against stone. So, where?

Two shots fired and Zoro's head snapped up._ That sounded close_. He ran straight forward, to what he assumed was the source of the compounding echo of gunshots. He could hear the pounding footsteps louder then. But, there was a steep curve in the path ahead of him, surrounded by coal-colored jagged rocks that blocked his view after a certain point.

Zoro hurried to round the obstacle, but before he could reach the bend, Sanji came wildly skidding around the rocks. The blond, shopping bags pummeling his sides, waved at Zoro to run back the way he came. "It's the Marines," he explained breathlessly, shoving at Zoro's shoulder to get him to turn around.

"Why are you running? We'll just kick their-"

"Not that simple!" Sanji interrupted, breathing raggedly. He pushed the bag handles back onto his shoulders as they started to slip, running faster still than he had been a moment ago. Zoro didn't understand. Sanji didn't seem scared, not really, but he was running like he was being chased by something much worse than a few-

Gunshots fired again, one bullet lodging itself in the wood planks by Zoro's feet and he ran. He peered over his shoulder at what he had previously assumed was just a Marine or two. Nope. In fact, it was more like a parade of Marines, weapons drawn and aimed in Sanji and Zoro's general direction. "Holy shit, what did you do?!" he shouted, running even faster to catch up with Sanji, who had gotten a bit farther down the path.

"Told you!" Sanji gasped, swerving terribly as a bullet whizzed past his head. The cook looked worn out, Zoro noticed. Tired and sweaty, like he'd been running for a while. Absently, Zoro wondered how long he'd been asleep.

The path kept straight, almost annoyingly so, as they kept running in hopes of escaping. They knew better than to try either of their close-range fighting styles with so many weapons aimed at them. It would be risky at best. There were at least twenty Marines following them, all of which were angry and armed, and there were probably more on their way. Sanji and Zoro decided, even though they didn't speak, that "run first, ask questions later" was a good plan.

Sand consumed their path ahead, so Zoro pulled Sanji towards the sloped stone path that led up into town. Sanji went without question and Zoro followed him quickly. The Marines were gaining on them, but he figured they'd be safer in town. It would be easier for them to hide and harder for the Marines to just open fire.

A bullet cracked the flawless stone ground just behind Sanji as he hurried up the hill, and another flew past Zoro's hip, missing his swords by a fraction of an inch. "This must really be a revenge mission," Zoro commented, though his lungs burned with the effort.

"Just run, idiot!" Sanji gasped, pulling another burst of speed and energy from who-knows-where as a bullet grazed his shoulder, cutting the sleeve of his jacket halfway. Zoro caught the mortified look on Sanji's face as he noticed his ruined suit and snorted.

The ground levelled out and running became much easier as they reached the edge of town. There weren't any people around, but the buildings would provide enough hiding spots that it wouldn't matter. Zoro skidded as he turned and ducked between two buildings on his right, while Sanji darted in the opposite direction.

The swordsman heard several sets of footsteps clattering against the pavement behind him and he wanted to look back and see how many were there, but as a bullet flew by in his peripheral vision, he pulled out all the stops and ran. It crossed his mind to be embarrassed that Roronoa Zoro was running from a few measely Marines, but he flew past the thought. Now was not the time, he decided.

oOo

Sanji's legs were trying to give out and his shoulders, of all things, were cramped. He had to find somewhere to hide, or he was going to be in some deep shit. Those Marines never seemed to run out of ammunition, damn them.

He slid on the wet pavement outside a flower shop as he tried to turn. Sanji just barely avoided connecting with the stone wall of another building, shoving off of it with his hands to help himself. Behind him, he heard a commotion of sorts, as Marines slipped in the puddles outside the flower shop and several of them fell to the ground. They were getting back up again, yes, but they were also blocking the way for the ones who hadn't fallen, giving Sanji the perfect opportunity to get away.

"Catch him, _Goddammit_!" one of them was screaming, but none of the Marines could catch up to him now. Sanji turned down a dingy side road and collapsed in a crevice between buildings. He didn't care enough to move so that his suit wouldn't get dirty.

For a long minute, all he could hear was his own heart pounding, and all he could feel was the stinging burn in his lungs. Then he started to feel other things, like the ache in his legs from suddenly being folded up after running for so long, and a sharp pain in his arm, just below the shoulder. He vaguely recalled a bullet slicing open the sleeve of his jacket, but he hadn't realized he'd been injured by it.

Sanji dropped the grocery bags beside him and reached up to touch the wound on his arm. It wasn't that bad, he decided. He'd already been scratched up before, so it didn't make much difference. He was surprised he could feel it at all.

Tromping footsteps passed by Sanji's hiding place and he held his breath until he couldn't hear them anymore. When they were out of earshot, he sighed. "Thank God," he mumbled, pulling out a cigarette and putting it between his lips. His hands were shaking slightly, but he ignored it as he lit his cigrette and tried to calm his racing heart.

oOo

Zoro looked around. He had no idea where he was, but at least he'd lost the Marines.

All around him, plants were growing wildly, reaching out and catching on his clothes. The sand beneath his boots shifted as he disentangled his swords from a sticky plant. He hated this part of the island, he decided.

He thought about calling out, just to see if anyone was there, but he stopped himself before he could. It would be good if Sanji was there, or a local, but not if any Marines turned out to be close. So, instead of shouting, Zoro started walking again. If he kept going, eventually his feet would lead where he needed to be.

The plants went on forever, it seemed, sometimes going over his head and sometimes dropping below knee-level. Most of them were relatively thin, but he couldn't see far enough through the weeds and branches to know where the end was. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but it was far too long.

Unwittingly, Zoro began to think of a soft memory. It was subtle at first, just a good feeling bubbling up inside him, but then it started to clear up. He could feel warmth against his chest, and smell something sweet with an underlying bitterness, all in the memory. He didn't usually have that much detail in normal memory, so, he was rather confused. He couldn't picture it exactly, but it was right on the tip of his mind.

Like his brain was telling him it was obvious, the memory showed itself fully and caused Zoro to stop walking. It was Sanji and it was him, and it was both of them together, and it was less than half a day ago, and it was wonderful. He had his arm around Sanji and he didn't want to let go, but that didn't make sense, since they were supposed to be enemies. But, he'd had that feeling before.

Zoro shook his head and walked briskly, trying to clear away the thoughts, and especially that memory, but it did him no good. He could see the look on Sanji's face when he let go of him, full of confusion and something else, something so damn _Sanji_ that it wasn't even funny. He didn't know why it got to him. It was stupid and annoying and he just wanted it to go away, but the image was persistent. Why had he let go?

Groaning, Zoro dismissed the question. He didn't dare dwell on the subject even a moment longer. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't really care. He had to figure out where he was, and then-

With a delayed sense of relief, Zoro realized he was back in town somewhere. He looked over his shoulder, but he could see no remnants of the sandy, plant-filled area he had been walking through. That was good, he supposed, but it disturbed him slightly to think that he'd been too immersed in that memory to notice the scenery around him changing drastically.

Zoro shook his head again as he half-walked, half-ran down the street.

oOo

"Hey, Cook-san and Swordsman-san have been gone for a while, haven't they? It's almost dark."

"Yeah, Sanji needs to come back and make dinner!"

"Oi! You're supposed to be in bed!"

"They'll be back, soon, Luffy, just go to bed before Chopper notices you're up."

_"He's what?! Luffy!"_

oOo

Zoro felt like he'd been walking for hours, but he was still in town. He hadn't been able to find the ship yet and it was reminding him more and more of the previous night, when Sanji had come to get him even though he was pissed. But, he hadn't found Sanji, either. Perhaps if they had crossed paths they would've stuck together, but Zoro hadn't seen Sanji since they split up when it was still daylight out. The town's lamps had long since been lit.

He hadn't had anymore direct encounters with the Marines since he and Sanji had been running from them earlier, but he had heard them all around town. It seemed even darkness couldn't stop them. Zoro wondered if they would decide to move on from the island after a day or two of searching with no result. That was the hope, anyway.

But, he wasn't stupid. And, the Marines weren't stupid enough to leave after having spotted two members of the hunted pirate crew. If he were on their side of it all, he would try even harder to find the rest of the crew. He had to tell the others.

Unless, of course, Sanji had already gotten back to the ship and told the others. Well, he'd still have to get back to the ship, but he wasn't in any hurry if Sanji was already there. And, chances were, Sanji had gotten back to the ship pretty easily. _He's got an Eternal Pose that always points to the ship, or something._

Zoro stopped in the middle of a crossroads. The cobblestone paths made a pristine X, giving no clues about which way led where. The nighttime businesses lining the streets cast dim orange and yellow lights in every direction, and a greater number of people than had been out in the daytime were wandering about. It seemed he'd have to just pick one path because all of them looked the same. Shrugging, Zoro turned on his heel to take the left path.

Various bars and generally dingy-looking dives were the only places still open, which was disconcerting. It must have gotten late, Zoro knew, but he could swear the sun had only set a few minutes ago. He looked around at the lively, Marine-free nightlife, listening to the sounds of distant laughter and someone singing at the top of their lungs.

Then, out of the vague sounds of the island, he heard, "Hey, buddy, are you okay?"

He didn't know why those words affected him at all. Frequently, Zoro would hear people talking to their sloshed friends like that. But, that time it was different. Like someone drunk was doing the asking, but there was no reply. Normally, there would be laughter.

"Wh- hey, are you sleeping? You can't sleep there, man."

Zoro looked around for the person speaking, and walked towards the one-sided conversation. A man was standing at the mouth of an alley, swaying on his feet and staring intensely at something in the alley. "Hey! I'm talkin'a you!" the man slurred, taking a staggering step into the darkness between two buildings.

Zoro peered around the corner into the unbelievably dark, narrow alley and his eyes must have popped out for a moment, because he just couldn't believe what he was seeing. He mumbled something to the drunk man that he didn't even really process as he dove into the alley and dropped to his knees beside Sanji.

He didn't know what to do at first, because a puddle of blood had developed around Sanji and he didn't appear to be breathing. Zoro was almost afraid to put his hand to Sanji's neck looking for a pulse, but when he did, Sanji took a deep breath. He's only asleep.

Zoro's arms were shaking, but he didn't know why. He looked Sanji over and determined that the blood pooling beside him was from a cut on his arm. He was winged by a bullet, Zoro remembered. "Shit," Zoro grumbled, shaking Sanji by his uninjured shoulder. "Wake up, assshole." The cook didn't show any sign of waking.

Worry crept up on Zoro again as he shook Sanji. "Oi. Wake up, already! I'm the one who's supposed to be asleep, remember?" He could hear his own voice, but it sounded strange to him. It wavered a little when he spoke to the sleeping blond.

Sanji's head lolled to the side, resting on Zoro's hand and he snored softly. Zoro clenched his free hand into a fist. "You better wake up, damn it!" he yelled, shaking Sanji a little harder than necessary. The cook moaned in his sleep, a frown creasing his brow.

"Wake up!" Zoro growled, fighting off the terribly sudden fluttering in his stomach. Sanji mumbled something and raised his arms to push Zoro away. "Wake up, damn it, you're bleeding!"

That time, Sanji opened his eyes, if only a little bit. He stared straight at Zoro for a long minute, maybe it was two or three, before he finally raised his eyebrows and asked, "Zoro? What are you doing here?" His voice was slowed by sleep and somewhat groggy, but he looked at least half-aware.

Before Zoro could answer, Sanji suddenly jerked to the side and clapped a hand over the cut on his arm. "Shit! What happ- no, no, no, I remember now, I remember now," Sanji spoke quickly to himself, shaking his head and pulling his hand away from his arm for a moment. "Damn. How long have I been asleep?" Sanji asked no one in particular.

"Why you shitty... I don't know! You were passed out like a rock when I got here a minute ago, and that's all I know." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest, still kneeling beside where Sanji had been. He was glaring fiercely, but he didn't know why. Sanji was just a little disoriented; he hadn't done anything to deserve being glared at. But, Zoro couldn't stop.

Sanji ran a hand through his hair, the one that wasn't covered in blood, and groaned. "Damn it... How long has it been dark? I think it was still light out when I fell asleep." Sanji looked to Zoro for answers, but Zoro just growled and stood up.

"You idiot. It's been fucking dark for two fucking hours!" Zoro scolded, though he didn't really know how long it had been dark. He was angry, and he was taking it out on the cook, but he couldn't name the reason why.

Sanji didn't raise his head to look at Zoro, instead looking up at him through his eyelashes. "I apologize for the inconvenience, shitty swordsman, but you needn't bother yourself with my burden any longer," Sanji said sarcastically. He grabbed the handles of his shopping bags and roughly shoved them onto his good shoulder as he stood up. Zoro stood with him, still glaring as Sanji began to walk away.

"Oi," Zoro grumbled, roughly grabbing onto Sanji's shoulder. "What the hell was that?"

"Don't expect me to be all cupcakes and rainbows when I wake up to your face," Sanji said flatly, trying to shrug off Zoro's hand, but it wasn't working. Zoro kept a persistent hold on Sanji's injured shoulder and the blond looked back at him with a dare in his eyes. "Let go of me."

Zoro would've listened, he really would have, but he couldn't. He didn't know why he was upset, or why looking at Sanji seemed to compound the jittery anger inside of him, but it was getting old fast. He was tired of being confused, but Sanji looked confused too, so he couldn't expect any easy answers. He had to think about it.

"You're hurting my arm, plant-head bastard," Sanji snapped, trying again to pull away to no avail. "Seriously, let- Shit..." Sanji trailed off, putting a hand to his forehead. Sanji hit his knees before Zoro could think what to do and then the cook was holding his head in both hands, bags forgotten.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Zoro knew the answer to his question, but he couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Goddammit!" Sanji shouted, pulling at his hair. Zoro started to help him up, or hold him together, or _something_, but Sanji stood abruptly on his own and staggered back a few steps. "Just leave-" Sanji paused and sucked in a sharp breath. "Leavemealone!" His voice was a terrible slur and it tripped the switch in Zoro's head that opened the floodgate of thoughts.

To his knowledge, Sanji hadn't had any medicine since before breakfast. He'd left the ship after that incident, so of course he didn't know. Zoro could only guess about what would happen if Sanji didn't get back to the ship quickly. All his guesses, every single one, were bad. He never thought he had much of an imagination until then.

"We need to get back to the ship," Zoro said firmly, stepping towards Sanji. The cook didn't agree nor disagree. He just stood there, holding his bowed head. Zoro was going to take that as agreement until he reached for Sanji and he flinched away.

"Don't touch me," the cook mumbled, his tone surprisingly calm. "I can walk just fine by myself." Sanji took a few steady steps forward and bent down a little to pick his bags up off the ground, but then he paused.

Zoro frowned. "What's wrong?" He looked between Sanji and the bags on the ground. "Is something wrong with those?"

"You pick them up, I can't do it," Sanji slurred, standing up a little straighter and leaning against the side of one of the buildings whose alley they were occupying.

Zoro's frown deepened and he wanted to ask why Sanji couldn't pick up the bags. But, Zoro decided he'd let it go for the time being and he picked up Sanji's bags and slid them onto his own shoulder. "Oi," he said, moving into what he hoped was Sanji's line of sight. "Come on."

Sanji made a sound, something like unwillingness, Zoro guessed, and pushed off the wall with his shoulder. He held onto his head with one hand and dug through his pockets with the other, silent save for his breathing. Sanji pulled out his cigarettes and a matchbox after a minute and stared at them. The matchbox was covered in his blood, marring the brand logo and perhaps the matches as well. "Hn." He turned the matchbox over and over in his hand.

Meanwhile, Zoro was becoming impatient. Sanji must have been faking, he decided, because if he was really hurt, he'd be in more of a hurry to get back to the ship and the doctor and the drugs. The cook must be faking, trying to make him feel guilty or some shit. But, it wasn't going to work. "Hurry up, shitty coo-"

"Quiet," Sanji interrupted, his voice still a little slurred. He pulled out a cigarette and lit up before continuing. "Your voice hurts my head."

"Bullshit!" Zoro spat, more convinced than ever that Sanji was yanking his chain. "You ain't gettin' pity points from me, you shitty bastard. If you want to hang out in some dark alley all night, you can do that by your damn self! I'm going to back to the ship and-"

"Please, for the love of God, will you just _shut up_," Sanji groaned, kneading his temples with the heels of his palms. His cigarette was burning to ash between his lips, but he seemed to have forgotten it. Half his face remained hidden behind his hair, but Sanji had raised his head, if only a bit, so Zoro could see his expression. His visible eye was shut tight and his lips were pressed together so hard that they were almost nonexistent.

At that point, Zoro wasn't sure what to believe. He was pretty sure that Sanji was faking, but it was quite an extreme measure to take for... whatever Sanji might get out of making Zoro feel bad. He didn't know. His pride told him not to give up, but that stupid feeling in his chest and his gut was telling him that Sanji wasn't pretending. It was a toss up.

"The Marines'll probably be back soon," Zoro mentioned, thinking out loud for the most part, but unconsciously biding his time. "We have to get out of here. I've been looking for the ship all afternoon, but I haven't-"

"It makes my brain rattle," Sanji grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose and finally opening his eyes.

Zoro was thrown off. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Your voice. You're being too loud and too Zoro. It hurts my head more than it was already hurting," Sanji answered, quiet but level in tone. He blinked slowly, seeming to have trouble opening his eyes again as he took a deep breath. "Something tells me you don't believe me, though. That's very shitty of you, thanks a ton."

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the cook, vaguely threatening. "I'm trying to help, shit-cook. If you don't like my voice, fucking deal with it."

Sanji's eyes closed again and he took a long drag from his smoldering cigarette held between shaky fingers. "Che. You think_ I_ need _your_ help? I think you got that backwards. Obviously, a directionless fungi such as yourself wouldn't be able to find the ship on his own." Sanji opened his eyes only once he was finished speaking, catching the angry, offended look on Zoro's face and smirking slightly.

Zoro started to respond but Sanji cut him off with shake of his head and a cringe. "Don't... talk. Just, go on. I'll be right behind you, and I'll steer your ass in the right direction." Sanji crushed his cigarette beneath his shoe and gestured for Zoro to lead the way.

"Don't be creepy, shitty love-cook," Zoro grumbled, walking out of the alley and onto the street anyway. A moment later, he heard the tapping of expensive shoes behind him.

"I'm impressed. This is the right way."

oOo

Zoro looked over his shoulder for the fifteenth time since Sanji's last direction and the cook was still holding his bent head. "Stop doing that, would ya?" Sanji hissed, startling Zoro a little bit. The swordsman faced forwards again, refusing to acknowledge that he had, in fact, been caught watching the cook by the cook himself.

"Left," Sanji instructed. Zoro listened and turned. "Your other left," Sanji said, patiently. That was how their evening was going. Every few minutes, Sanji would tell Zoro which way to go and between directions, Zoro would look back at Sanji, who appeared not to be watching the road at all.

"I'm not going anywhere, you know," Sanji had said, after a few minutes of uninterrupted silence and equal uninterrupted staring. Sanji wasn't looking at Zoro still, but he seemed to know that Zoro was looking at him. "It wouldn't benefit me in any way to run off anywhere by myself like this."

"That's not why," Zoro said, angrily turning to face the street ahead of him.

Sanji laughed breathily behind him, then hesitated a moment before asking, "Then why?"

"Just makin' sure you ain't dead, or somethin'."

"I'm 'or something,' thank you very much."

Zoro growled. "Shut up, okay? I just don't wanna get an earful for lettin' your ass wander off and rot somewhere," Zoro defended himself. It was true, he supposed, but the truer answer would be that he was worried the cook was seriously hurt. But, if he said that, he'd never hear the end of it.

Sanji didn't respond.

They were walking along the coast in a matter of minutes after that exchange and Zoro couldn't hear Sanji's footsteps anymore, so he looked over his shoulder more often. The cook didn't call him out on it, Zoro noticed, but he wasn't complaining. He would rather not be accused of looking at the cook for weird, made-up reasons.

For maybe twenty minutes, they walked to only the sound of the waves and the seabirds that refused to sleep. Zoro was starting to wonder, at that point, whether or not they were going the right way after all, but before he could voice his thoughts, the silence was broken by an unnervingly close shout.

"Sir!" A chorus of unseen voices startled Sanji and Zoro, turning both their heads towards the shroud of trees blocking their view of the neighborhood and people just beyond.

"Not this again..." Zoro groaned, hands on his swords.

"Have you succeeded, _any_ of you, in finding _any_ of the Straw Hat pirates?"

Sanji pushed Zoro from behind, whispering, "Go, go."

"Yes, sir! We, uh, earlier, we encountered..." The voice tapered off into nonexistence.

"Well? Out with it!"

"A group of our men ran across Roronoa Zoro and one of the other pirates in town today and gave chase. Unfortunately, sir, they escaped..."

Zoro hurried across the sand, thanking all that was good and holy that the moon was hidden behind the clouds, causing almost complete darkness around them.

"And? Did you find their ship? Did you shoot them?!" The responding voice was growing louder and more impatient.

The swordsman looked back at Sanji, who was taking long strides to cover as much ground as possible without actually running. The blond was holding his head with one hand, leaving the other to swing at his side. He was still in pain, Zoro realized.

"N-no, sir. We were unable to-"

The voice was cut off by a loud smack. "I don't want to hear how you've failed! I want to hear about _progress!_" the strict voice screamed. Zoro saw Sanji cringe at that.

"Hurry," Zoro whispered, turning around to face Sanji, who was a few paces behind.

Sanji halted almost immediately after Zoro hurried him and his other hand came up to his head as well. He nearly fell to his knees, only saving himself by taking a staggering step forward. Almost as if he hadn't stumbled at all, Sanji stood up straight again, shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking faster than he had been before.

"Are you alright?" Zoro asked as Sanji passed him.

"Keep your voice down," Sanji whispered back. For what felt like the first time in days, their eyes met and Zoro found himself locking his jaw and nodding in compliance.

Zoro could hear multiple lowered voices, but no distinct words. And, judging by the look on Sanji's face, he couldn't hear them either. Zoro took that as a bad sign. The swordsman put his hand on Sanji's shoulder and pointed to some bushes, nodding. The cook seemed confused, but he went anyway.

Zoro ushered Sanji to a point he mentally deemed safe and peered through the openings in the bushes, looking for the Marines. He could still hear their hushed voices, but it seemed as if they had deliberately quieted themselves. Definitely not good.

"That way!" was the harsh whisper that penetrated the silence of the night. Zoro and Sanji exchanged a look, one that asked the question, "Fight or flight?" Zoro wasn't sure what Sanji could really do if his head was hurting so much that he could barely walk straight, but the cook was nodding determinedly.

"If they get close enough..." Sanji whispered, barely audible. Zoro nodded in agreement, clutching two of his swords.

Twigs snapped left and right as unseen Marines searched for whatever or whoever they thought was around. A shadowy shape passed by with only a single thin bush between it and the two pirates. Sanji looked in the direction of the sounds as they occurred until the only sound left besides the ocean was the subtle grainy sound of people walking through the sand.

"That was close," Zoro sighed quietly. The walking sounds ceased and were suddenly replaced by clacking, guns on guns. _Oh, shit._

Sanji grabbed Zoro by the shirt and pulled him down to huddle below the branches of a thicker bush and put his finger up to his own mouth. The cook eyed him seriously for a few seconds, before crouching down further and peering under all the bushes. Zoro did the same and quickly realized they could see several sets of feet through the bushes, all of which were walking right around them.

Zoro looked over at the blond briefly, a bit shocked by how little space was between them. Sanji caught the look and grinned at him, pointing in the general direction of the Marines and laughing without sound. Zoro looked at the seemingly disembodied feet wandering around in search of them and failing spectacularly. He couldn't help himself but to smirk as well.

A pair of legs came a little too close for comfort behind Zoro, so he scooted a waddle-step forward in his crouched position. Sanji's facial expression then could only be described as mocking laughter. Zoro glared at him until Sanji found himself having to move as well. One Marine was only a few inches from Sanji's left arm and he scrambled away as quickly and quietly as his crouch would allow. Zoro mirrored Sanji's previous expression right back at him, grinning smugly.

Close call after close call kept them shifting around in their small hiding spot, nearly bumping into each other several times. All the while, Sanji looked like he was trying not to laugh, even though Zoro could not see the humor in the situation, try as he might. He guessed it must be because of Sanji's head that he found their predicament amusing.

"Sir, I don't think there's anyone here," one Marine said, from his standpoint six inches to Zoro's right.

After a pause, the obvious superior in the group conceded. "Fine. Back to the ship! We'll radio in the other groups for a small break, but we'll be out again by dawn!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" A small army of clattering guns and thudding boots bustled away.

For a long, long few minutes, Zoro and Sanji remained completely quiet, just staring at each other. Then, Sanji started to laugh. Zoro had no idea why or what was even really funny about it, but he laughed, too. "Your face," Sanji laughed between breaths. "You thought they were going to get us! You really-" he broke off into a laugh.

Zoro was offended, yes, but he had to laugh. It was ridiculous for reasons he couldn't even think of anymore, but the fact that the cook was laughing made it okay. "What about you, baka? You looked like you were gonna wet yourself," Zoro snorted and Sanji laughed harder. *

And then, shit got serious.

"Ow, dammit, ouch!" Sanji cursed, holding his head in his hands again. This time, when Zoro reached out to help, Sanji didn't stop him. Zoro grabbed Sanji's shoulders and pulled him up into a standing position.

"Come on. We have to get back to the ship, now," Zoro said carefully, just in case angry Sanji came back.

Sanji nodded, whining. "Quieter, please," he said, eyes shut tightly. Sanji let Zoro guide him out of the bushes before he started walking completely on his own. "Goddamn exertion from laughing. Stupid-ass headache."

Zoro rolled his eyes at Sanji. "We'll be back soon, so quit your whining."

"You don't even know, Zoro," Sanji mumbled, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms. That made Zoro curious and surely he'd ask, but questions were for another time.

Without another word, Sanji and Zoro walked along the sand in search of the dock. Sanji was still holding his head, but he didn't seem to be in as much pain as before, Zoro noticed. That was good. The last thing he needed was for the others to see him with a catatonic Sanji.

"How close are we to the ship?" Zoro asked after a few minutes' silence.

Sanji looked over his shoulder at Zoro. "Pretty close. It should just be around that rock, see?" Sanji pointed to a tall, jagged boulder like many others they'd seen on that island, sectioning off the beach a few meters ahead of them. "You really can't remember where we parked, can you?"

Zoro narrowed his eyes at Sanji for a second. "No, I don't commit useless things to memory."

"Ha."

"Shut up!"

oOo

When Sanji and Zoro finally got back to the ship, everyone was hanging around on deck in the lantern light, doing their various preferred activities. Luffy, Ussop and Chopper, who had been playing a convoluted game of Go Fish, looked up when the cook and the swordsman climbed up onto the deck.

"Oh, guys! Where've you been all day? Nami had to make dinner and it was awful."

"Sanji, I really need to have a talk with you about your health. You shouldn't go wander-"

"Eights?"

"Hey, Ussop, I was talking! ... But, here."

"Hah, according to the rules, you must now forfeit any twos in your hand!"

Sanji and Zoro shared a look of exasperation. Sanji mouthed the word "kitchen," and Zoro nodded. He'd gotten hungry from all the running around they'd been doing since early that afternoon.

"Oh, you two!" Nami came out of the galley just as they were headed in. "Shame on you for leaving most of the day! It's been so damn hectic around here. The next time you leave for free time," Nami said as she passed them, "I'm fining you one million beli a piece!"

Zoro actually laughed.

*** Baka - Stupid, idiot, dumbface. (That last one was made up. It doesn't mean that. But, wouldn't it be funny if serious adult Zoro called someone a dumbface? xD)**

**That was really fucking long. I can't even see straight anymore. Can you? Well, you wouldn't be able to read this if you couldn't. Best of luck to your eyeballs. In other news, SANJI! OMGWTH happened to Luffy being the sick one?**


	12. This could be a problem

**Yoooooo... I don't even know what to say here. Just read, I'll do my ramblin at the bottom.**

In the early morning, Sanji's eyes opened easily and he stared up at the ceiling. He didn't have to look around to realize he was in the galley, on the "medical" couch. For a moment, memories evaded him and Sanji shut his eyes tightly, trying to remember. He and Zoro had finally gotten back to the ship, he remembered, and they had gone to the kitchen to get something to eat. He remembered Chopper scolding him and checking his wounds. He remembered Luffy acting strangely, walking around on his hands and talking to people with his feet. But, he didn't remember going to sleep.

The cook sat up and looked over at the sink. The dishes were done, the counters immaculate. He must have done that himself. None of the others would have cared enough to clean all the countertops and put away every last dish. And, if he cleaned up, that usually meant he cooked something. Thinking about it, he could kind of remember the others begging him for a snack because Nami-san's cooking was "terrible." He hadn't had much choice.

_Okay, so I cooked something..._ Sanji got up off the couch and walked around the kitchen, gradually remembering the night. He made everyone a snack, but Luffy had been unaccounted for. He remembered telling the others to just enjoy their snack, he'd go look for Luffy. He remembered searching the ship and finding Luffy in the girls' room.

Sanji put a hand to his face for whatever assistance it would provide in thinking, but his cheek stung when he touched it. The cook looked at his hands as if it did anything wrong, then touched his cheek again with the same result. "What the hell?" he asked aloud, rubbing his sore cheek delicately.

Then, he remembered.

oOo

Chopper was just starting to wake up and check on Luffy when he heard quick footsteps from on the main deck. The doctor looked around at everyone in the men's bedroom, counting heads. It was too heavy to be one of the women, but too graceful to be anyone aside from... _Oh no._

"Sanji!" Chopper whispered as loudly as he could without disturbing the others. "Sanji, no!" Chopper climbed out of the room quickly, stopping Sanji at the hatch.

"Where is that little fucker?" Sanji asked, trying to step around Chopper, but the doctor changed to his heavy point to block him.

"Just c-calm down! Let me explain some before you go charging in there!" Chopper reasoned, making a peaceful gesture with his hands.

"He punched me! He fucking punched me, Chopper!" Sanji practically shouted, minding his volume only because the ladies needed their beauty sleep. "I don't remember what happened after that and my head fucking _hurts_. I've got to-"

"No, Sanji! Just listen to me!" Chopper looked at him seriously and Sanji backed off a bit. "Okay. There's something wrong with Luffy- and before you say anything, just let me finish! He doesn't... remember anything."

"From when he punched me?" Sanji asked, not amused.

Chopper shook his head. "No. From anything. He doesn't know any of us. He doesn't know the ship. Sanji, he didn't recognize _meat_!" Chopper said, reverting back to his normal reindeer self.

The cook was having trouble finding words. "You... What are you saying?"

"He forgot how to walk and forgot how to breathe for a second... Sanji, we heard what happened earlier when he punched you." Chopper pouted, eyes downcast. "He yelled 'who the hell are you?!' and then there was a crack and you were unconscious and he was panicking. He's forgotten all of us..."

"Chopper."

"Sanji, please don't ask. The others already asked all the questions that could possibly be asked." Chopper began to walk around the hatch to the men's room. "No, I don't know how this happened. No, I don't know when his memories will come back, or if they'll come back at all. I don't have a cure! I don't know everything! But, I'm working on it! I really am!"

"Calm down, calm down," Sanji urged, kneeling and stopping the doctor mid-step. He had been dead-set on violence only a minute or two ago, but now was not the time to flip. He had to be calm, since Chopper was already doing enough panicking for the both of them. "It's alright, Chopper. No one's rushing you, okay? You can't think rationally if you get too worked up. You need to be level-headed, alright?" Sanji soothed.

The doctor took a couple of deep breaths before he answered. "Okay. Thank you, Sanji. I really do need to calm down, I know that, but-"

"No 'but's," Sanji said strictly. "Take your own advice and get some rest, Chopper."

Chopper pouted, but he didn't refuse. "Just- wake me if something happens, okay? Or, when Luffy wakes up, whichever happens first, okay?"

Sanji nodded. "You got it. Now, get your butt to sleep, before you collapse of exhaustion right here."

"Alright, alright. Thank you, Sanji," Chopper said again as he retreated to the bedroom below, leaving Sanji to his thoughts. That was not a good thing.

For the first few minutes, standing completely still on the deck, looking down at nothing specific, Sanji couldn't compose his thoughts. The coherent ones evaded him, sticking the tips of their toes into the light of his mind only to pull back before he could figure out what he was seeing. "Luffy" and "forget" came up several times, but never a whole sentence. It took a very long time in the cold of early morning for Sanji to clear his thoughts and actually process what he was trying to think.

"Oh, God," Sanji whispered, not yet fully comprehending the situation, but starting to get a handle on it. "Fucking shit! How did this happen?" he asked himself, grasping at his own hair in frustration. It was strange. He couldn't think of it clearly in precise words, but he understood enough. He knew it was bad; it had to be, since Chopper was so upset. He knew Luffy had decked him, in more than one sense. He knew the whole damn thing was so fucked up, it could only have happened to them.

Sanji tried to switch his brain off, to move into autopilot, but it wasn't working. The few minutes he'd spent trying without success to think were catching up with him. Luffy didn't remember them. After being nice and healthy and almost normal the day before. Sanji supposed Chopper could just be pulling his leg, but he was never a very good liar. So, it was true. After getting better much, much sooner than originally anticipated, Luffy took a metaphoric nosedive.

The cook paced across the length of the deck a few times before heading to the bathroom. Before he could do his business, his reflection in the mirror startled him. "Good God!" Sanji gasped examining his left cheek in horror. Although he was certain it couldn't have been more than a few hours since he received the injury, it was purple and green with pinpricks of red beneath the skin. If he had to guess, it was made by a frying pan, not a fist. But, he didn't have to guess. He knew.

"The fuck am I supposed to do about this?" Sanji asked himself, not even touching the bruise and feeling it protest. "Goddamn... Now I really feel sorry for the poor fuckers he beats up when he _does_ know them," Sanji grumbled, stepping away from the mirror and silently vowing not to look into another mirror for the next week or so.

He didn't know what to do about it. Not just the hideous bruise, but everything, anything. What were they going to do if Luffy's memory didn't come back? _Oh, God, I just thought of something horrible... But, there's no way this is permanent._

Sanji washed his hands and then went to the kitchen, noticing the blue of early dawn changing to pink. The others would be up soon if they didn't stay up too late the night before. He didn't doubt that they'd stayed up late, but he needed something to do and he couldn't think of anything else to do besides cooking. He went through the motions of cooking: seasoning, chopping, stirring, flipping and he even cleaned some things when he was waiting on the food, not that that was necessary. By the time he was finished, it was still completely quiet on the ship, even though the sun had been up for a good twenty minutes.

The cook yawned, sitting at the kitchen table by himself with his all-important semi-diary thing. He looked at the thing and honestly considered burning it for about five seconds, then he decided to read. He could already recite the thing by heart, but what was one more read? Perhaps he'd discover something about his odd thoughts that he hadn't noticed before.

Sanji had hardly cracked the book open when a groggy Usopp wrapped in at least four thick blankets trudged into the kitchen, grabbed a glass, filled it with water and left without so much as a "good morning." _Guess he was on watch last night..._

Sanji shrugged and flipped to a particular page in the veritable cooking almanac. He was sure it was nearly half-full with strange brain-dumps, but he was still clinging to its previous purpose of cooking notes and grocery lists, even as he searched for a particular page that was neither of those things. He'd changed his mind. He didn't want to read. He needed a blank page.

_A lot of weird stuff is happening lately. It seems like I use that line a lot, but it's true, and this time it's weirder. Luffy doesn't know us. I don't know how deep that runs, but I know it's true, 'cause he tried to collapse my face with his fist and almost succeeded. I have no idea how the doc got him under control. Maybe he sedated him. I wasn't conscious at the time. It's kind of insane, right? How will this development unfold? Who the hell knows...? I can't figure this out._

_We might be stuck inland for a while longer if Luffy doesn't get better quickly. Nami-swan will be mad about that, I think, unless she becomes the concerned Nami-san that I don't see very often~!_ Sanji paused in his writing to smile. Then, another thought occurred to him. _What if Luffy freaked out and started punching when he saw the others, too?!_

Sanji stood from the table quickly and nearly tripped over his feet getting to the boys' room. He would've gone to the girls' room first, but he wouldn't want to startle them, especially if they slept in indecent clothing for a man's eye. So, he started in the boys' room, ninety-nine percent sure he wouldn't kick the guts out of the Captain.

Chopper was asleep in the hammock under Luffy's, perhaps so that he'd know when Luffy woke up, but he looked fine. Luffy himself looked different, but Sanji couldn't figure out how so, except that he was oddly contained within the edges of the hammock. On the hammock nearest to the hatch, Usopp was sprawled sideways, appearing to have lunged blindly. His empty glass that used to contain water was sitting on the floor nearby surrounded by a puddle. Sanji shook his head with a sigh. They were okay, it seemed. There was just one more.

"Oi, cook. You're awake?"

Sanji turned slightly, looking over his shoulder at Zoro, who somehow managed to stand from wherever he'd been sleeping without Sanji noticing him. "Nah, dead asleep," Sanji responded, smirking. He did a quick once-over of Zoro's person and didn't see anything wrong. _Of _course _I'm the only one Luffy hit... I guess that's better than the alternative._

Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. "What was that? You checkin' me out?"

"Don't flatter yourself, baka marimo," Sanji snorted, offering no further explanation.

The swordsman half-glared at him for a second longer before he frowned. "That looks like shit," Zoro observed, gesturing vaguely to Sanji's face.

"Gee, thanks, asshole!" Sanji snapped, turning his head away so that Zoro couldn't see the left side of his face. Sanji wished that, if Luffy had to punch him, he would have the decency to get his cheek, not his jaw, so that his hair would hide it.

"I didn't mean it like an insult, idiot," Zoro told him, probably rolling his eyes.

"Sure you didn't."

"I didn't! Don't get mad for no reason, shit-cook."

Sanji reached into his pockets for a smoke, his retort falling away as he realized his pockets were empty. "Damn. Where's my jacket?" Sanji asked, mostly to himself. He thought he took it off while he cooked breakfast, but he couldn't remember if his cigarettes were in it or not.

"Hey, don't just ignore me for a cigarette." Zoro pushed Sanji's right shoulder with his palm, turning him so they were facing each other. "I was trying to see what the damage is, stupid."

"Kuh- Damage? Fuck off, Marimo, it's just a bruise!" Sanji hissed, admittedly a little sensitive about the matter. He didn't want to hear about "damage" or that it "looks like shit." It was his face, not some disgusting display for rude marimos to look at and comment on.

"Lower your voice, shitty-brow!" Zoro whispered. "There are a handful of people in here that I'm sure you don't want to wake."

"Yeah, well, why don't you join them?" Sanji sneered, leaving the room quickly. He was most definitely _not_ in the mood to put up with Zoro. Obviously, Zoro didn't feel the same, as he followed after Sanji almost immediately and shut the hatch behind himself. As the swordsman followed him, Sanji realized that the reason he didn't hear Zoro get up before was because he was barefoot. "Go back to bed, you annoying talking moss."

"Hungry."

Sanji growled in the back of his throat, but he couldn't tell the swordsman not to eat. That would be cruel to both parties involved, because Zoro would go hungry and a good portion of the food would go uneaten. "Fine. But, one more word about my face and you will become one of the floorboards."

"Even if I said it didn't look _that_ bad?" Zoro asked, catching the door to the galley when Sanji let it swing shut in his face.

"I said not another word. I don't care what words you would use, just shut up."

"Look, I'm not trying to insult you-"

"Then, you're failing at that."

"Give me a chance to fucking talk, will you?!" Zoro asked with a frustrated sound similar to a growl. "I'm just saying Luffy really hit you hard, that's all! I'm not saying you look bad!"

Sanji dropped his elbow on the countertop and put his forehead in his palm. "Good God, Zoro, you better shut up before you talk yourself into trouble," Sanji warned, clutching at his head where it was starting to throb. It didn't feel like it had before, only like a normal headache, but he didn't want to take chances.

"Oi, oi, don't be having any brain problems this early in the morning!"

Sanji spluttered. "If I do, it'll be your fault!"

"But, I didn't do anything!"

Sanji's minute headache went from a slow walk to a jog just like that and he had to really fight not to just kick Zoro out of the kitchen, literally. He didn't know if he could argue with Zoro without getting too pissed off again. And, he didn't know if he could stay in the same room as Zoro and not argue with him. "Ugh, where's that fucking jacket?" Sanji grumbled to himself, trying to distract his mind from the somewhat painful track it was on.

Because it was just his kind of luck, Zoro picked up his jacket off one of the benches and held it away from Sanji. The cook let out his frustration in a stream of curses, pulling at his own hair with one hand and clutching the edge of the countertop with the other. His head wasn't actually hurting so much, but he wanted a specific reaction from Zoro. More importantly, he wanted those cigarettes.

"What's wrong? I didn't do anything, did I?" Zoro asked. He sounded more than a bit offended, but Sanji knew that was Zoro's "worried." He wasn't doing exactly what Sanji wanted him to do, though, so Sanji took it a step further and mussed up his posture, nearly doubling over before Zoro took a single step forward. "Oi! Do I need to get Chopper?"

_Why the hell isn't he getting any closer? I need that damn jacket!_ Sanji's headache was starting to pound in protest to his charade. Ironic, he supposed. "No... Don't wake him. Don't wake anyone. They need their sleep."

"What, then? Tell me what to do," Zoro requested, taking one more step forward. Sanji's headache grew ever so slightly as he quickly tired of beating around the bush. He wanted a cigarette, and he wanted Zoro out of his kitchen.

"Just-" Sanji interrupted himself to close his eyes for a second, willing away the "pretend" headache. "Just hand me my jacket."

Zoro looked at the jacket with a considering expression. "Why the jacket?"

"Fuck!" Sanji's head was really starting to hurt. It wasn't as quick as before, but it had a precise level of pain in mind and it was getting there, fast or otherwise, no matter how hard Sanji tried to will it away. Of all the things that he thought Zoro should be doing right about then, withholding his cigarettes and questioning him did not make the list. In fact, they were very counter-productive. _Leave it to the marimo..._

"Hey!" Like the caring patch of grass he was, Zoro finally came over to Sanji, jacket in hand. "Tell me what's wrong, ero-cook!"

"Give me the damn jacket!" Sanji demanded, although it came out more like a whiny request.

"Tell me why this is my fault and I will."

"I didn't say this was your fault, now give me the goddamn jacket!"

"You did earlier," Zoro reminded him, holding the jacket away when Sanji made a swipe for it. "You said that if you have any brain problems, it'll be my fault. Why?"

Sanji jerked his knee up into Zoro's ribs like lightning and grabbed his jacket from him. "You can make your own damn plate, asshole!" Sanji snapped as he left the kitchen and the confused swordsman.

oOo

Zoro didn't know what he did wrong, but it was really bugging him. He hadn't tried to upset the cook, he really hadn't, but it became blindingly obvious to him that he'd done exactly the opposite when Sanji kneed him and stormed out. Zoro was beginning to believe he couldn't win for losing.

The swordsman looked around, in need of something to do. He hadn't really been hungry, he'd just wanted to talk to the cook, but, since that backfired, he was left with nothing to do. Well, he could do any of the usual things, like training or drinking, or maybe training. But, as much as he was always in the mood to do either of those things, he really didn't feel like it.

Stepping out of the galley, Zoro looked around for the subject of nearly every thought he'd had in the past twenty-four hours. He didn't immediately see Sanji on deck so he wandered around to the mikan bushes, only to see he wasn't there either. Zoro meandered around to the storage room and checked in the bathroom, too, but the cook was nowhere. _Would he go back to bed...?_

As Zoro was starting to open the hatch to the men's room, he caught sight of a thin stream of smoke coming from the crow's nest, curling up and dissipating before it got too far. Zoro's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Oi, cook."

The trail of smoke moved over a few inches and Zoro could only guess that Sanji had rested his elbows on his knees, extending his cigarette away from him. That was something Sanji did often enough. "I know you can hear me," Zoro said, watching the crow's nest closely. "I'm going to go keep an eye on our troublesome captain."

The smoke moved sluggishly back to its previous position and Zoro sighed. He probably wasn't going to get any sort of response from the cook if he inquired about his head or his bruised face or anything, but he did want to do something. Of course it would never do to have the person who cooks all your food angry at you, but especially not when the person in question was Sanji. "In case you wanted to know," Zoro said, a little smirk threatening to show itself. "Luffy only passed out after I hit him with my swords."

As Zoro opened the hatch and climbed into the men's room, he could swear he heard a snort from the crow's nest. When he looked back up one final time before closing the door behind himself, he saw a smooth patch of blond hair over the top of the crow's nest basket.

"Zoro?" Chopper sat up in his hammock, rubbing his barely-open eyes. "W're ya talking t' Sanji?"

The swordsman snorted. "Yeah. As much as he allowed, I was."

Chopper attempted to slide out of his hammock and ended up on his bottom on the floor. "I need'a talk t' him. Need'a check on him," Chopper mumbled, practically dragging himself towards the ladder.

Zoro scooped the doctor up before he got too far and put him on the couch. "No way. That bastard'll be fine until after you get some rest. Don't push yourself, Chopper." Zoro looked at him seriously as the little reindeer's head kept tipping to one side, his eyes crossing and shoulders slumped.

"Muh," Chopper responded, followed by mumbles that the doctor himself probably didn't understand as he quickly fell back asleep. Zoro scoffed. The doctor was obviously stretching himself too thin trying to take on every minor medical molehill without keeping himself in proper health.

Zoro stepped over to Luffy's hammock and made extra sure that the down-and-out Captain was indeed down-and-out. He didn't want to have another mishap like earlier in the yet dark hours of the morning, although it had not been particularly unpleasant to whack the Captain upside the head with his swords. Standing there in the dim room next to a quietly snoozing Luffy, Zoro couldn't remember exactly why he'd decided it was the best course of action to hit him. All that was left of that notion was the lingering amusement.

The swordsman climbed into a hammock of his own and expected to just fall asleep like he usually did, but that didn't happen. He found his mind occupied by a partially invisible thought that he couldn't bring to light or push away. It was just there being annoying and reminding him of a certain blond with a similar effect on him.

oOo

Breakfast went by without a hitch, but it didn't seem that way. Luffy was not yet awake and Sanji flitted in and out of the kitchen, smoking obsessively and walking around with a frown on his face. Everyone except Zoro inquired about that, but Sanji would give no answer other than they should not worry about him. It was a peculiar start to their morning to say the least.

After the unnervingly quiet breakfast, it became even quieter when Nami, Robin, Usopp and Chopper went off shopping, Zoro fell asleep at the kitchen table, Luffy continued to snore away in the boy's room and Sanji was left as the sole conscious person on the ship. He was a bit let down about that, but it was his own will to tell the others not to worry about him and that he would stay and get some rest.

_Seems I won't be the only one resting,_ Sanji thought, only somewhat bitterly as he passed in and out of the kitchen again, casting a glance at the swordsman sleeping in his breakfast. The cook paced back and forth across the length of the deck a few times before climbing up into the crow's nest. He was far too restless to stay there long, but he wanted to know if he could see the Marines, or better yet, the town, from there.

Sanji peered through the binoculars this way and that, but all he could see were trees and a bluff looking jagged and dangerous in the light of midday. After a few passes over the scenery, Sanji decided he'd seen all he was going to and climbed down to pace the deck again.

He didn't know what had gotten on his nerves, but it was bothering him. He wasn't angry or upset or anything, he just couldn't sit still. The cook had, at some point in the morning before the others woke up, fallen asleep and dreamt of beating the shit out of the very two nakama that remained on the ship with him. So, why was he nervous? He didn't understand, but he was blaming it on his dull but ever-present headache.

Sanji could find nothing to entertain his mind. The others had been gone for only half an hour, at the most, but he was going out of his mind trying to think of something to do. He didn't think he was bored, but he didn't know what else to call it. He went into the storage room several times only to determine that no, he need not take stock again, because he'd gotten it right the first eight times. After he'd moved on from that compulsion, Sanji paced the deck again and again, watering Nami's mikan bush and picking a few of the fruit. He finally settled himself at the back railing of the ship, peeling an orange.

As calm as he'd been since he woke up that morning, Sanji sat on the railing facing outward and quietly munching an orange. He kicked his feet absently in a childish sort of way, holding a section near his lips as he watched the waves, wondering vaguely what had stopped his restless legs. He didn't want to think too hard about it, though, in case it started him wandering again.

Halfway through his orange and only a minute after he'd started planning lunch, a creak woke Sanji from his thoughts. He turned his head to the side, but he couldn't see much, since he was at the back of the ship. He didn't much care to go see who it was if it turned out to be Luffy, though he didn't suppose he'd like it any better if it were Zoro. Either way, he couldn't very well let them wander around cluelessly.

Sanji slid off the railing quickly but quietly, watching out for the creaky boards on deck as he walked around to the steps. Standing by the hatch to the boys' room was a very confused-looking Luffy, holding the edges of his hat and pulling them down over his ears.

Sanji didn't know why he did it, but he called out to Luffy. "Oi, Captain. What's the matter?"

Luffy whirled around on his bare heels, his eyebrows furrowed together. "Huh? Who are you?"

"Not this again," Sanji grumbled, putting the heel of his palm to his forehead for a second before tucking his hands in his pockets and forcing a smile. "I'm Sanji, your chef. Are you having some memory trouble, Luffy?"

"What? No. I remember who _I_ am. But, where am I? Did you kidnap me?" Luffy asked, not sounding scared in the least.

"Oh, no. Don't you remember? You're a pirate," Sanji told him, watching the surprised and amazed look on Luffy's face. "And, I'm in your crew. Do you remember any of the others?"

"'Others'? What are you talking about?" Luffy tilted his head to the side, solely absorbed in something just above Sanji's head.

"The rest in your crew. You are the Captain, after all. Don't you remember Nami-san?" Sanji started down the stairs, noticing that Luffy snapped out of lala land right quick and started watching him closely.

"No. I don't know who that is," Luffy answered, standing up straight as Sanji reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Robin-chan, then? Certainly those two would be the most memorable," Sanji said, putting a hand to his chin. "Or, perhaps Usopp? You two are good friends."

Luffy shook his head, letting go of his hat and allowing it to bounce back into shape. "Nope," Luffy said, popping the p. "I don't know who those people are. Now, where am I?"

Sanji balked. "You seriously don't remember? You're in the Grand Line, Luffy, on a ship called Going Merry, with your crew of seven people, including yourself. How could you forget that?"

"I didn't forget! Maybe, you're just lying to me!" Luffy shouted suddenly, curling his hand into fists at his sides.

"What reason would I, a perfect stranger in your mind, have to lie to you?" Sanji asked, taking a cautious step forward. He didn't know why he was advancing towards Luffy still, but he knew that Luffy was becoming unnerved by his progress.

"I don't know! You're just a bad guy! That's it!" Luffy shouted, pointing his finger at Sanji and, of all things, pouting.

The cook frowned, offended. "Hey! If you don't know me, you can't just make assumptions like that!" Sanji countered, raising his head slightly. "I'm a great guy, in actuality. Quite a gentleman and one hell of a cook, if I do say so myself. Certainly you have agreed with me on that last one!"

"But, I don't even know you!" Luffy took a step back, appearing to have chosen flight as opposed to fight in his nervous, twitchy state.

"Then, do you know the doctor, Chopper? Or Zoro, your first mate? You couldn't have forgotten everything," Sanji tried, almost pleading. Luffy just looked at him, confused and looking like he might start swinging or crying, but Sanji couldn't decide which.

Just as the cook was going to say something else, Zoro hurried out onto the deck and Luffy burst into tears all at once. Zoro looked at him sharply. "What did you do?!"

"I didn't _do_ anything!" Sanji defended himself, shrugging heavily. Zoro just shook his head and clomped over to Luffy who, for reasons that Sanji could not see and doubted he ever would see, hugged Zoro tightly around the waist.

Zoro stiffened, awkwardly patting Luffy on the back. He looked to Sanji for help, but Sanji was just as shocked as Zoro was. "I think we should, uhm," Zoro stumbled over his words, trying to step away from Luffy only to have his steps mirrored. "Go get Chopper. Yeah. Where is he?"

"How the hell should I know?" Sanji snapped and Luffy sobbed harder. The cook shut his mouth quick, taking a step back.

Zoro looked pleadingly at Sanji, like he had some magical antidote for a blubbering Captain. He really didn't. "Could ya- I don't know, just," Zoro groaned, looking down at Lufy, then back up at Sanji. "Could you find them? Anyone! Chopper, Nami, Robin, Usopp, it doesn't matter, just somebody who can-" Zoro looked down again and finished, "deal with this!"

Luffy snuggled into Zoro's chest, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt to ensure that he could not get away. Sanji shook his head, backing up into the railing be the rope ladder. "Looks like you got this Luffy under control," Sanji observed, smirking slightly when Zoro glared at him, eye twitching.

"I don't know how to handle this, okay?! Go get someone-"

"Ne, Zoro, I'm hungry," Luffy announced, letting go of Zoro and walking towards the kitchen merrily, like nothing out of the ordinary had been happening.

Sanji and Zoro exchanged a look and then watched Luffy skip up the stairs, whistling a very happy tune. "L-Luffy? Are you feeling okay?" Zoro asked, taking a hesitant step towards Luffy.

The Captain stopped midway up the steps and looked over his shoulder, grinning. "Yeah! I feel great," he said with a laugh. "Why do you two look so serious? C'mon, isn't it breakfast time, yet, Sanji?"

"Uh, yeah," Sanji said, casting another glance towards Zoro. The two of them started to follow after Luffy, confused but not daring to prod the subject, both with a different Luffy that they didn't want to see.

"Hey, where are the others?" Luffy asked, looking around. He jumped up and looked into the crow's nest, holding his hat on the descent. "I don't see anyone. Did they go exploring without me?"

"Not really. They just went shopping," Zoro answered, though he'd been asleep at the time of their departure.

Luffy nodded. "Okay, that's g- Who are you?" Luffy's expression changed from his merry and chipper norm, to a confused and uncomprehending face. There wasn't an ounce of recognition in his eyes, even though he'd only addressed his nakama by name a minute ago.

"Zoro. Don't you remember? We were just talking!" Zoro looked to Sanji who could only shake his head. Luffy was a mystery the way he was and had been since he got sick. Only, it seemed like it was a different Luffy from before.

"Hey," Sanji called Luffy's attention. "What do you remember?"

"That's a weird thing to ask," Luffy said, his loud presence shrinking in on itself even as he stood completely still.

"Just answer the question," Zoro prompted.

"I tried a direct approach before, idiot marimo, it doesn't work," Sanji said, giving Zoro a serious look when Luffy started to get scared. "It's alright, Luffy, you don't have to answer for now, okay? We can find someone to help you," Sanji soothed, attempting to learn from his mistakes.

"I don't need help with anything!" Luffy whined. "I just don't know how you are!"

"This is a big problem, shit-cook," Zoro observed helpfully.

Sanji sent him a withering look. "Yeah, think I couldn't see that, asshole?"

Luffy backed away from them quickly, muttering about this that and the other that didn't make any sense to Sanji and Zoro. "I want to go home! How do I get home from here?" Luffy asked, looking around wildly as he continued to back up.

"Luffy, stop! You're going to fall over the edge!" Zoro warned, marching forward after Luffy, who squeaked, turned and ran to the back of the ship. The swordsman huffed and rolled his eyes, turning to Sanji. "What the hell are we going to do about this?"

"Shit if I know," Sanji mumbled, pulling out his cigarettes and fiddling with the carton. "We have to get Chopper, that's for sure."

"Yeah, and where on this island do you think he is right now?" Zoro asked, somewhat snarkily.

Shrugging, Sanji said, "I have a few good guesses. But, I don't think it would be smart to take that idiot to him, even though it would be quicker than waiting around."

Zoro considered his words, then nodded. "Okay. I agree with that. Can't have that big bundle of crazy running around with civilians."

Sanji snorted. "Yeah. What do you think it would take to make him pass out again?" Sanji asked.

From the back of the ship, a brief little shriek interrupted their conversation. Zoro and Sanji hurried around to see what had happened, wondering if their Captain could indeed make that sound and why, if he could.

"Stay away from me!" Luffy screamed, taking a swing at Sanji as he came around the corner. Sanji swerved just in time to avoid being hit in the exact same spot as before and kicked Luffy hard in the gut. In a blur of black, tan, red and blue, Luffy was up again almost immediately and swinging at Zoro.

The swordsman caught his fist and started to say something but Luffy crouched and jumped, knocking his head into Zoro's chin with a crack. "Fuck!" Zoro spat, catching Luffy by the shirt with one hand and drawing a sword with the other. Sanji's heel came down on the junction between Luffy's right shoulder and neck and then Luffy was kneeling, unable to move his arm. Zoro pointed his sword at Luffy's nose when he attempted to get up and Luffy yelped before passing out and falling like a sack of potatoes to the floor.

"Well, that worked," Sanji said, looking down at the unconscious Captain, only slightly out of breath.

Zoro sheathed his sword and picked Luffy up, walking swiftly towards the main deck. "We have to make sure it _stays_ working before you go and jinx things," Zoro grumbled, tossing the hatch to the boys' room open with his foot. Sanji stood back and watched with an oddly painful feeling surrounding the image of Zoro holding Luffy to his chest, before he followed to help make sure that Luffy didn't get up again until they were ready and preferably armed.

**Don't know if there were any translations needin to be done, but I can't remember any. ;P So, there. You get to just stew in it if you didn't understand something. On a side note, how adorable is amnesiac Luffy when he's not afraid for his life and trying to hurt Zoro and Sanji?**

**I... don't know when I'll get back to this, since I have Foster and Your Heart and my Christmas fic to work on. Oh, and Christmas itself. Which will be fun, I suppose, but most things fun that were of any decent size recently have just made me depressed. I hope I don't get depressed on Christmas. That would suck!**

**Anyways, I should hope to have a new chapter before the new year, but I'm just glad to have made it to 12. xD Merry day to ya, and I hope you're not as tired as I am. ;)**


	13. Why can't they all just get along?

**I told you all I hadn't abandoned this yet. ;) I know, it's been almost... 7? I think 7 months. A long time. And that makes me a terrible person. xDDx But, here I have a smallish (HA) update for you. I'll try my best not to take so long fo rthe next update, but I am going to be doing a bunch of oneshots this summer so it may still take a couple of months. Which is still better than 7! So, don't kill me. *pleasepleasepleasedontkillme***

He was pretending to sleep, now. Just keeping his eyes closed. Was he trying to convince himself? He didn't know. Was there some other reason to pretend he was sleeping? Maybe. It was kind of like he was a secret agent, though, so he continued and listened intently to the murmured conversation being held just above deck. He couldn't really tell what they were saying, but the fact that he shouldn't listen in filled him with a giddy sense of obligation towards the ill-advised.

But, the shapeless words made no sense to him no matter how hard he focused. They must be speaking a mystery language, he decided, no longer committed to the thought of being a spy. He would find something less concentration-oriented to do. He never did like concentrating very much, anyway.

When he attempted to hop out of bed, only succeeding in a sort of accelerated flop, a loud, shrill sound rung out from way too close to him not to scare the piss out of him. His hammock flipped over and his head hit the floor, but he didn't fall out. He just kind of hung there, not quite touching the floor with anything but his forehead. Another alien sound came from above and then a click, some thudding; he knew the noises but he didn't know how or what they could be. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pair of familiar dress shoes and he sighed.

"Thank goodness! Sanji, what's going on up there?" he tried to say, but the words were strange to him. His mouth couldn't make the right shapes and his voice couldn't make the right sounds. He was certain he knew how to do it... "Suahh... henp- cau-ca tuhl...!"

oOo

Sanji was not nearly prepared enough for that. He'd just been talking over options with Zoro above deck, trying to figure out a plan of action and whether or not to go search out the others, when the bell they'd rigged to Luffy's makeshift straight-jacket dinged loudly, alerting them to his drastic movement. Sanji had volunteered himself to go make sure Luffy was still sleeping and not consciously yanking the bell and trying to get away. It was a little brash and maybe over-the-top, but he was not taking any chances. He wasn't expecting to need to, anyway. But, gibberish? He needed at least a minute to mentally prepare for shit like that.

The Captain blabbered at him with words that were half-formed or completely foreign as Sanji stepped forward, grabbed the sides of Luffy's tied-up hammock and righted it. The upside was he seemed to recognize Sanji, but it was a very small upside that did not eclipse the downside that was his language skills at present. "Are you... alright? What does that all mean?" Sanji asked, taking a a half-step back. The nonsensical words came faster and louder as Luffy looked at Sanji like _he_ was the crazy one. "Whoa, hey, calm down! I don't understand!" Luffy continued to make odd sounds, suggesting to Sanji that maybe Luffy didn't understand him either.

For a few, mind-numbing seconds, Sanji just stood and tried to decipher what Luffy was saying, but after those few seconds he was all too eager to pass the problem onto someone else. And even though he had lingering bittersweet feelings regarding the thought of Zoro and Luffy in close quarters, ones that he still hadn't quelled or even made sense of, he had no one else to turn to. "Oi, Marimo," Sanji called up. "You've gotta see this." He tried not to sound like he really needed help, or even cared that much.

A moment later and without question, Zoro thudded down the ladder into the men's room. Before he could say or do anything, Sanji pointed to the Captain who promptly began what sounded like a mixture of mooing and keening. Zoro stared at Luffy with furrowed eyebrows and an almost-smirk on his face. He glanced at Sanji, who shrugged and shook his head slowly, unable to provide any answers in their bizarre situation. "That's... new," Zoro observed brilliantly.

"Yeah... what do you suppose we should do about this?" Sanji asked slowly, raising his hand towards Luffy in a loose indicating gesture.

"Hell if I know. Is he doing that on purpose?" Zoro walked over to Luffy and knelt beside his hammock. "Are you messing with us, Luffy?"

Sanji put a hand to his chin in thought. "I don't think he understands. But, I've never seen this happen before." For a second when the Captain met his eyes and stopped blabbering, he thought Luffy might have understood, but as suddenly as he'd stopped he began again, every word flying over his head. "We need to find Chopper," Sanji said, very straightforward.

"No kidding," Zoro snorted. He said the names of various meats loudly and with exaggerated mouth movements, but Luffy just split his stare between Zoro and Sanji, looking confused but not missing a beat in his nonsense. "This is serious," Zoro said finally, standing up after he'd run through all the meat-related words he could think of.

"There has hardly been a point in these past few days that wasn't serious," Sanji pointed out bitterly. Zoro looked at him with an expression that asked "was that a rhetorical question?" The cook just shrugged at him. It was true and he had nothing more to say.

It looked like Zoro might say something, a response, an insult, he didn't know. But instead, they fell silent, allowing Luffy's slowly quieting chatter and the muted sound of waves to soften their awkward silence. The tension that was causing the awkwardness eluded Sanji's efforts at pinpointing it and Zoro didn't even seem to be trying to fix it. Left with nothing else, Sanji tried to change the subject.

"When do you think the others will be back?" he asked, reaching into his pocket for some form of relief. To his dismay, Zoro only shrugged and he was checking the wrong pocket.

Luffy, perhaps feeling neglected or bored, started humming loudly and pulling at the sheets and ropes that made up his restraints. The swordsman and the cook both stared at him for it, but he didn't quiet or stop fidgeting, in fact seeming to gain volume and urgency in his movements.

After a while, Zoro asked, "Do you think he would shut up if I hit him again?"

Despite all the very much not okay feelings he had, Sanji laughed, throwing his head back and enjoying the moment while he had it. When he calmed down, the cook noticed Zoro staring at him as well as the unnaturally cheerful nature of Zoro's smile. "I think it's worth a shot," Sanji answered, still grinning a bit.

Zoro looked at him strangely before shrugging. "Alright." He drew two swords and Luffy looked at him, ceasing his incessant humming. Zoro raised one of the swords and then one of his eyebrows at Luffy, communiacting in way what he was going to do.

Suddenly, in a very clear and concise tone of voice, Luffy said, "I'm hungry." That startled the hell out of Zoro and Sanji, even causing them to do a double-take. "Is there any meat, Sanji?"

Exchanging a very confused glance with the swordsman, Sanji said, "Yeah, of course..." He paused, watching Luffy pull at his restraints curiously. "What... what was that about just now? That- that nonsense thing."

Luffy stilled, eyes wide. "What do you mean? I just forgot for a second," he said innocently. Judging by his expression, Sanji gathered that he didn't think it was way too fucking strange that he went from not speaking or understanding to perfectly normal speech at the drop of a hat.

"That was more than a second," Zoro said argumentatively. "Don't you find that crazy or disturbing at all? Not even worth a moment's hesitation?"

"I guess... But, I sounded pretty funny, right?" Luffy laughed, ignoring the fact that he was tied to a hammock and receiving two funny-farm looks. "Come on, you guys, don't be so serious! It's not such a big deal!"

"Not a-!" Zoro groaned and facepalmed at the Captain's optimism.

_Or maybe it's stupidity_, Sanji mused, stepping forward to untie Luffy's restraints. Zoro looked at him with a sharp, questioning gaze and Sanji shrugged. "He said he's hungry. I'm the cook. What else can we really do right now, anyway?"

Zoro couldn't come up with an answer in time to stop Sanji from releasing their mentally unstable Captain. "Whew! Thanks for that!" Luffy chirped casually. "I was worried for a second there that you guys might go eat without me!"

"We should have," Zoro muttered with a sideways glance at Sanji.

The cook waited for Luffy to ascend before turning on Zoro. "If you have any better ideas, I'm all ears, shitty swordsman," he whispered sharply, throwing his hands up in an exasperated gesture.

"I thought keeping him tied up was a good idea!" Zoro grumbled with no inhibitions about volume. "I think you'd agree with me on that, no matter how much we fight." He cast a meaningful glance down at Sanji's cheek.

Sanji rolled his eyes, shocked, even after being around it for so long, by Zoro's continuous stupidity. "Yeah, I am completely behind keeping an unpredictable timebomb tied up in a hammock and provoking him. That makes damn good sense to me!" he sniped, shoving his hands in his pockets.

For a moment, at least, Zoro seemed to be out of arguments. So, as the opportunist he often was, Sanji took that moment and used it to escape the mind-numbingly idiotic company of the swordsman and have the last word at the same time. Besides that, he needed to make sure Luffy wasn't getting up to no good in his kitchen. On a good day he still got into trouble, but with an unreliable mentality, Sanji didn't want to wait and see what would happen if Luffy was left to his own devices.

The quirky sound of sandals slapping the deck didn't allow Sanji much time for reverie and the cook quickly focused his attention to whatever it was Luffy may be doing that required so much running around. Which, as it turned out, was just that; running around. The Captain was holding his hat, which had somehow materialized after his departure from the men's room, tightly to his head as he dashed around the whole of the main deck in a rough square.

"What are you doing?" Sanji asked, full of slightly exasperated curiosity. Really, he would've gone into town with the others if he'd known what he would have to deal with.

Luffy made a sound like a surprised yelp, an expression of mild alarm. "I don't know! I can't stop doing this!" he wailed, noticeably gaining speed as he spoke. "Why is this happening?!"

Though Luffy seemed to think it was worthy of panic, Sanji just sat back and watched for a second. It wasn't the oddest thing he'd seen Luffy do, not by a wide margin. And, it wasn't doing anybody any harm since he was only running around the deck and not off of it. _He might wear himself out_, Sanji thought with some amusement. It may be evil of him, but he liked that idea.

At that moment, eternally on the Captain's side, Zoro emerged from the men's room beginning to say something and changing conversational course visibly when he spotted Luffy. "What the-? What's going on _now_? Did you forget where the kitchen is or what?"

Immediately, Luffy halted. "Oh, yeah. I remember now. Thanks, Zoro!" he chirped merrily and skipped off the main deck, out of his little stuck-square. Luffy hopped up the stairs two at a time and beckoned to Sanji with a loud call that sounded remotely similar to "hungry."

Zoro looked at Sanji with an almost smirk on his face like he'd won an argument or something equally out of the realm of possibilities. The cook narrowed his eyes at his nakama and stomped off to the kitchen, too fucking tired to deal with Zoro's arrogant bullshit. Maybe the fact that there was a muted splatting sound coming from the kitchen had something to do with it too, though.

oOo

He could never do anything right. Not a damn thing, apparently. Unless Sanji was just fucking with him. That would make more sense. There wasn't anything else that could explain Sanji laughing at something he said one minute and snapping at him the next. He was being insane and Zoro was damn tired of it. Maybe it was just a product of having hit his head one too many times, but the Sanji of the past few days was really off and getting on Zoro's nerves. More than he normally would, anyway.

If it became a daily occurrence, he wouldn't be able to put up with it. That switching personalities like he was a girl or something, that wouldn't do. No rival of Zoro's was going to be in a shoddy mental state when they could be competing. He didn't know yet if that meant he would help Sanji get better or abandon all hope. According to everything he'd heard Chopper say about the matter... it was all very uncertain. Precarious, if Zoro remembered correctly, was a word Chopper had used about Sanji's condition.

But, he shouldn't be thinking about the shit-cook at a time like that. Luffy was sick first and worse and he was actually Zoro's friend, never mind the part about Luffy being the Captain and taking precedence over all other things except Zoro's dream. He shouldn't worry about the cook when Luffy was in more desperate need of help. And, strangely enough, Luffy seemed to be cooperating for Zoro and not really anyone else. The swordsman hadn't seen any of the others get Luffy to calm down. So, since Sanji definitely wasn't anywhere near relying on him like that, not that he wanted him to be, he could only help Luffy for the time being.

Zoro hesitated at the door to the galley, only for a second, and then he entered as if he were invited. Though he was at most a minute behind them, Luffy had a face full of food and Sanji was at the stove tossing large quantities of meat in a frying pan.

"Ohh, Joro! Come shit wish me!" Luffy beckoned, waving one of his sauce-covered hands.

"You want me to do what, now?" Zoro asked in good humor, nonetheless coming to sit a safe distance away from Luffy at the table.

Luffy turned his eyes up to the ceiling and thought about it for a drawn out moment before laughing. With half his food littered on the table and floor around him, Luffy swallowed and turned to Zoro with a miraculously clean grin. "That was funny! But, I said 'come sit with me,'" he explained as if Zoro didn't understand and wasn't already sitting with him.

While he should have been paying attention to Luffy's tangent about whatever, Zoro noticed the cook looking over his shoulder in the general direction of the table. He started to talk to him or wave or something but Sanji hastily returned his attention to whatever culinary escapade he had on the stove. Great. No, never mind that, he wasn't going to put an ounce of thought into the cook's bad mood. He was going to focus on Luffy and help him get better before dealing with bitchy, bipolar blonds.

"How are you feeling?" Zoro asked, interrupting Luffy who was in the middle of a story about his and Usopp's antics a little over a week ago that Zoro had been there for the first time.

The Captain froze and looked at Zoro like he'd just been caught doing something he shouldn't. "Who, me?" Luffy asked, not noticing the look exchanged between swordsman and cook at his tone. "I'm fine, just completely normal and okay, why do you ask? Do I look sick? Or crazy? I'm not. Why do you ask?"

Zoro blinked. "Uh." He looked to the back of Sanji's head for whatever he might expect of someone who was mad at him, but the cook remained facing the stove. "Just because, y'know, you haven't been feeling well the past few days. Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow at Luffy's wide-eyed expression.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Luffy asked loudly, partially standing up off the bench and dropping his fork. "Do you think I'm a liar?! I'm not lying! I am one-hundred percent fine!" His shouts were verging on shrieks and he was visibly worked up and Zoro had _no_ fucking idea what to do or expect.

Before the swordsman could even attempt to appease the mysteriously ruffled Luffy, two plates were set down in front of Luffy and Zoro respectively. A second of nothing passed and then the cook sat down beside Luffy, lighting up at the same time. "There's your meat. Aren't you hungry?" Sanji posed distractedly, looking only at the smoldering end of his cigarette.

Luffy examined his plate, still between sitting and standing. Then, apparently having decided it was acceptable, sat and resumed a peaceful exterior. "Smells good," Luffy sang, picking up his fork and digging in. Though it must have been hot, Luffy made a yummy sound and began repeatedly stuffing his stretchy face.

Zoro was in awe. Seemingly without even trying, and with only a simple plate of meat and a handful of words, Sanji had quelled the crazy. Zoro looked down at the food in front of himself, then up again at the blond.

And Sanji was looking at him, too, one very serious blue eye locked with his own. He didn't notice it right away, but after a beat or two of some strange something, Zoro noticed there was a message in that eye and Sanji was mouthing something. For the life of him, Zoro didn't know what it was the cook was trying to say. Zoro shook his head slightly to express his confusion and Sanji rolled his eyes at him.

"Tread... lightly," Sanji mouthed more than said, but Zoro definitely heard it that time. Zoro narrowed his eyes slightly in response and the cook raised his curly eyebrows significantly. "Really," Sanji said quietly, giving Zoro a stern look.

"You're not my mother, shit-cook," Zoro sneered and Luffy looked up at him.

"Zooooroooo... Don't be mean to him, he made us food!" Luffy whined, pouting in the image of a four-year-old. The Captain leaned to his right and bumped the side of Sanji's head lightly with the brim of his hat in an odd, semi-affectionate gesture.

Sanji seemed surprised at first, but he didn't sound like it when he spoke; "Yeah, idiot, I made you food."

"I didn't ask you to!" Zoro snapped, pushing his plate away roughly. A little spilled onto the table and Zoro caught the angry flash in the cook's eyes. He also caught the look that Luffy gave him, the puzzled one that changed to disapproval. He didn't know how that, of all the things he'd said and done while on the crew, was crossing the line, but he did know not to cross Luffy. What to say, however, escaped him.

The cook nodded slowly, holding his smoke between his fingers. "No. No, you sure didn't." He picked up the fork he'd presented with Zoro's plate and scooped the food off the table top back onto the dish. "Didn't mean to offend," Sanji said sharply.

Luffy looked between his nakama with an increasingly troubled expression. "I... I could eat it if he doesn't want to?" he suggested in an uncharacteristic, nervous way. Zoro wanted to break in and correct Luffy on the matter of his wanting the food, but the straw hat didn't pause. "You shouldn't be mad, 'cause I won't waste it and Zoro didn't mean to be stupid, so don't get angry, okay?"

He didn't even think about it before he responded. He just let his temper get ahead of him, as he all-too-often did concerning the blond, and he spoke without premeditation or grace. He really needed to work on that. "_I'm_ the one being stupid?" he questioned loudly. "Tip-toeing around you two nutcases is the only stupid thing I've done in days!"

Oh, shit.

Luffy, in all his psychotic, not all there mentality, began to scream. He threw his head back, banged his fists on the table and screamed so loudly and so suddenly that Zoro didn't even really realize what was going on for a moment. Sanji, in that time, had jumped up, moved around to Luffy's right and started shouting something that was thoroughly drowned out by Luffy's shrieking.

The swordsman didn't know when he got up or how it came to him and Sanji at each other's throats. Really, he didn't. Maybe he had some weird mental illness, too. That was all that he could figure, after having a physical shouting match and inadvertently upsetting his Captain. What was his problem?

Zoro approached Luffy, side-stepping a seething Sanji, in his best attempt to calm the fit he had caused. "Luffy- Hey! Stop- Just calm down, alright?" he tried, feeling the strain of his inability to communicate properly.

"Leave him alone!" Sanji snapped, kicking Zoro in the shoulder to push him away from the hoarse, screaming mess that was their Captain. "You've done enough!"

"I'm trying to fix that!" Zoro snapped back, shoving Sanji out of the way as a sort of revenge for being kicked. The cook stumbled onto the bench and Luffy shrieked even louder. Zoro flinched and his ears popped painfully. One hand covering his ear, Zoro reached out to Luffy, maybe to calm him, maybe to cover his goddamned mouth, but no matter his intention he got punched for his efforts.

Luffy shouted something horribly garbled and scratchy sounding at him, then squatted down on the floor, knees up to his nose, arms wrapped around his legs and proceeded to cough until it sounded like he was going to be sick. The blond knelt beside Luffy and patted him on the back, talking calmly to him and Zoro had fucking _had it_ with screwing up this week. He turned on his heel and stomped out of the galley, across the deck and off the ship, ignoring a sinking feeling in his gut that told him he should just suck it up and stay.

oOo

His throat hurt. Why did his throat hurt so bad? He couldn't even swallow. He was shaking all over, too. Why?

A movement out of the corner of his eye startled him and he fell back on his rear. It was just Sanji, his brain told him after a second. There was no reason to be scared. Well, he could only hear a ringing in his ears, but maybe that's not so bad.

"...ear th...?" Sanji was saying and Luffy nodded to show he was listening. Why would he do that? Doesn't matter. Sanji looked worried, so he would try and make him feel better by pretending to listen. "-rines... gunsho... Luf... ind the others... Now!"

The cook pulled him up by the arm and Luffy just followed along. The sun was hot and bright outside and Sanji was bringing him to the edge of the ship. Were they going for a swim? Swimming was fun. Oh, wait, he can't swim. He'd just drown. But, Sanji could swim for him.

"...k! We... ave t... ide the ship...!" What he could hear of Sanji's voice sounded very serious. Were they supposed to be worried? Were they in danger? Sanji was pointing out at the water and Luffy followed his finger to the small figure of a ship on the horizon. A blue ship, it looked like, or maybe that was just the ocean reflecting something something, blah blah blah. But, the white sail was painted with a very familiar blue logo. _Who has a seagull carrying a wrench on their sail...?_

Sanji hurried off without him to do who knows what, so Luffy just waited for him and watched the distant ship. Then he remembered where he'd seen that logo; where he always saw that logo.

And, oh.

Oh, right.

He should really help Sanji get the ship away from the marines.

**I was thinking I'd give you all a break from my closing statements (or questions, where most of my chapters are concerned), but then I decided to put something here anyway. Uh. Seaweed? No, that's not right. Hmm... Any guesses about what's wrong with Luffy? I bet you have at least a couple. ;)**


	14. Hide-and-Sneak

**2 months is a definite improvement over 7, don'tcha think? ;D I made this as sort of an apology to you guys for taking that long last time. Cheesy title and all. xD**

**Also, prepare yourselves. If all goes well, this'll end in like... 5 chapters max, I think? And, of course, this is a decent chapter.**

**P.S. if you plan on leaving a mean review regardless of the content., then fuck off. I don't want to hear how terrible you think this story is. If it's so bad, save yourself some fucking time.**

It was all happening way too quickly for his liking. Really, why couldn't they just have a normal day? If things could just be peaceful for once in their pirate careers, it would be perfectly alright if not moreso in his book. But, no, of course that couldn't happen. Of course Zoro had to leave him to babysit Luffy and the ship all by himself. And of _fucking_ course, not twenty minutes later, the marines had to show up on the horizon, back up, maybe, to the ones already on the island, and start firing for unknown reasons at unknown targets. That's Tuesday for a pirate, right? Sanji hoped to hell not.

Luffy was following him around like a puppy as he went about pulling up the anchor and whipping out the oars. The ship was still a while away, they had time, but he wasn't taking any chances. All he had was Luffy to help, a Luffy who was incapable of helping, and a whole ton of marines that could discover them and arrest the only two Mugiwaras there with very little trouble.

"Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey, stop that, stop- Luffy. Come here," Sanji said as calmly as he could, working to get Luffy's flighty attention. "You like to row, don't you? Come row."

Luffy spun around a few times, fiddling with the buttons on his vest before acknowledging Sanji. "Okay" was all he said before grabbing the end of one oar and vigorously rowing.

"Whoa! Slow down! No, wait, here- Take the other one, too." Sanji put the oar he was holding under Luffy's left arm. "Switch to the other side and do the same thing, okay? Just go back and forth while I handle this," he instructed very slowly and very patiently. When Luffy nodded, Sanji set off to find some good cover.

Luckily for him, they were drifting over to the densely vegetated section of the cove. There were vines and bushes everywhere. All he needed were some trees, but that would be too easy. He'd have to figure a ship disguise from what was available, while still allowing for recognition by their exploring nakama. As he surveyed the materials he had to work with, Sanji realized how silly he'd look hiding a caravel. He hoped the girls didn't come back while he was executing his brilliant plan.

oOo

The quiet, overly reserved residents of the island started to murmur and fidget in a collective fashion. Maybe it was just his paranoid imagination, but Usopp was certain they were looking at him. And maybe that was because he was standing outside a lady-clothes store for no apparent reason, but he felt like it had something more to do with his overpowering piratey aura.

"That's right, drink it all in!" he told them in his mind. He'd never say that out loud. The locals could be hostile. And, anyway, Nami would kick his ass if he drew attention to himself. They were specifically told to be discreet and inconspicuous by that bossy wardeness and, even though it was in his nature and completely called-for, he was sure Nami wouldn't appreciate it as inconspicuous.

"I have the strangest feeling that you're thinking something weird," Nami's voice said from way too close and Usopp yelped in the manliest of ways. He whirled around and saw she was standing with her leg locked in the open doorway of the clothes shop. "And it looks like I'm right."

"N-no way! And don't sneak up on me like that!" Usopp clutched his chest over his heart, which he was almost entirely certain was still skipping beats.

Nami scoffed, shoving her bags at him and walking off like he was just supposed to catch them. Which he did, but not because she wanted him to. "Whatever. I thought no one could sneak up on you, Mr. Great and Fearless Pirate Captain Usopp," Nami said, with just the slightest tone that made him think she was being sarcastic. She did that a lot.

He couldn't just stand back and let her ridicule him, he knew, not this time. He had to regain his some of his honor. "Th-that's right!" he shouted, trying to shake the stutter. "I just- W-w-well, it's a formality! If I didn't act scared sometimes, people would become frightened and all run away, even though I mean them no harm! Yes, that's exactly why!"

The redheaded tyrant didn't even look back over her shoulder and he could tell she didn't believe him. "Keep up, oh brave one," she ordered with an extra swish of her hips that Usopp found entirely unnecessary. "We've got two more stores left to hit before lunch."

Usopp sighed. He had his own shopping to do. Didn't Nami realize that? And how did he always get roped into being her pack mule, anyway? He certainly didn't volunteer for the position. He'd even tried to slip away before she picked him, even if that meant sacrificing Chopper's day for his cause. That kid was at least better suited to carrying baggage than Usopp.

"Will I get to do my own shopping at any point?" Usopp asked, trying his best at being annoying. He knew Nami was easily annoyed, especially when he whined at her. He may yet be free of her tyranny if he kept that up.

Nami looked back at him and raised a skeptical brow. "What is it that you need to buy so _urgently_ that is more important than carrying a lady's bags for her?" she asked with the glint in her eye that alerted him to coming punishment if he did not lie. _If she really were a lady, I wouldn't have to worry about being fined._

"Ah, nothing, nothing!" Usopp waved dismissively with an utterly plastic smile. When Nami turned back to the road ahead with a satisfied smirk, Usopp muttered to himself, "Even though anything is more important than this..."

"Pardon me?" Nami snapped, standing firmly still and smiling in a way that would be considered sweetly by someone who didn't know her. "What was that?"

Usopp swallowed hard. "Nothing!" he repeated tightly. Nami gave him a warning glare and then swerved on her heel and plunged into the population. Usopp sighed. One of these days, he told himself, he wouldn't be such a chicken. Especially when he had such a good cause.

The only item on Usopp's shopping list that he absolutely could not wait about was a very selfless thing. A powdered root that, when combined with a chemical that Usopp had accidentally created when trying to make his own glue, would become bioluminescent. He thought that Luffy would really like that, even if the captain didn't remember the name of the person who made it for him. The long nose sighed loudly. He hoped Luffy would get his memory back soon. As fun as some things could be to do with an amnesiac, he liked the old Luffy better.

Halfway down the street, a unified hush fell over the townspeople. Nami and Usopp both looked around, and there wasn't a single cause as far as Usopp could see, but the two pirates joined in the silence. Usopp took a moment to admire the islanders' coordination in the quiet before something low and consistent interrupted it. A thumping kind of sound that seemed to originate from the western coast of the island.

"What do you think is going on?" Usopp asked, craning his neck and standing up on his tip-toes to see over the growing crowd. He still couldn't see much, but he knew something was coming.

Nami grabbed his wrist and pulled him back as she turned around and started moving away from the noise. "I think we need to go," she said with urgency and Usopp wondered what she knew that he didn't know. "Now, Usopp. Come on," Nami insisted.

The sharp-shooter let himself be dragged along, but he kept trying to see what was coming. He had a feeling inside his cowardly gut that he knew, that he recognized the sound on a smaller scale. But as it got louder, closer and assisted by shouts, he didn't want to admit to himself what it sounded like. "Maybe it's a parade?" he suggested, unable to believe his own words.

"Listen up! If you have seen _any _pirates in the last two days and do not come forward immediately, you will be held in contempt by the World Government! You have been warned!" a loud, angry voice shouted, still too far away to see. But he didn't have to see anymore. Usopp understood and he was pulling Nami along behind him away from the Marines before the man finished speaking.

Nami didn't hang behind long. "Do you think the others know?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at the crowd they were fleeing at a reasonable pace.

"I don't know. But we have to find Robin and Chopper and warn them just in case," Usopp said, imagining an awful scenario in which the other wandering crew members did not know the Marines were there until too late.

oOo

"What about this one, Doctor-san? '101 Exotic Illnesses and Their Cures,'" Robin read aloud, holding up a bright blue book with big gold lettering.

Chopper's ears perked at the sound of it. They'd been having very little luck with medical books, but that one seemed promising. He looked both ways and lowered his head before speaking. "Yes, that looks like a good one, Robin." He had to maintain his walking point for their shopping trip at the demand of Nami and the request of Robin, so he had to be extra careful if he was going to talk. Like a secret agent, he thought.

Robin smiled and put the book in the basket strapped to Chopper's back of things they hadn't paid for yet, along with the few others they'd picked out together.

The bookstore was very quiet and calm. They'd been there for an hour already and Chopper didn't feel much like leaving. It was a hot day, but the bookstore was nice and cool. A reindeer could really get used to things in there, but they had at least one more place to go before they went back to the ship to check on Luffy and Sanji, which was something that made Chopper anxious to think about.

"'A Thousand Things to Stump Your Doctor?'" Robin asked out of the middle of nothing, causing Chopper to jump.

"Um, what?" the little doctor asked, blinking and looking around. The raven-haired woman smiled again and held the book down where Chopper could see it. "Oh. Oh, yes, let's get that one, too!" Chopper confirmed, nodding.

Robin put the book in the basket, but rather than returning to the shelves, she looked off behind Chopper in the general direction of the register. Before Chopper could ask, Robin said, "I think it's about time we go. Don't you?"

The doctor raised an eyebrow to the best of his ability. "Is something wrong...?" he questioned. Robin often had an eerie sense of goings-on, he'd noticed, and it usually did him good to go along with what she thought they should do.

"Ah, no. The reason is not particular, I suppose... It seemed to me, Doctor-san, that you were distracted by professional worries about very close-to-home patients," Robin told him with the closest thing to a wink that Chopper had ever seen her give. He didn't know why she would wink like that. He could tell by the smell of her that she wasn't so very nonchalant. But maybe she knew that and was only trying to make him feel better. That was slightly unusual, but Chopper was grateful.

"Thank you," he said, and the two of them paid for their things and left. Outside the quiet, cool shop, the island was squirming. Robin didn't seem to notice, but Chopper could feel it in his hooves. It was a weird shaking in the ground, almost like a small earthquake, but not quite. It was fainter than any tremor he'd ever felt.

From beside him, Robin asked, "Is something the matter, Doctor-san?"

Chopper couldn't answer. He wasn't sure what it was or if it was wrong, just that it wasn't natural. "Do you know anything about this island, Robin?" Chopper asked instead of answering.

The archaeologist seemed to be expecting that. "The island is very normal. Four seasons, occasional flooding. Their native customs are really almost universal. They do grow a large quantity of mushrooms, though," Robin explained as if she'd lived there most of her life. "Why do you ask?"

"No... earthquakes?" Chopper questioned. A low sound started from somewhere far off, unlike any earth shifting he'd ever heard.

Robin arched a brow. "That's not too common for an island this size." She stopped on the dirt-covered sidewalk. "Doctor-san, is there something you ought to be telling me?"

The reindeer barely heard her, he was focusing so hard. It seemed like the ground was vibrating underneath him. "Something is happening, but I... I'm not sure what it is," he whispered, leaning down towards the earth. The thumping got louder the closer he got to the dirt. The sound started to take shape in his mind and Chopper sighed with relief. "It's only footsteps," he relayed, smiling.

For some unknown reason, Robin frowned. She looked down at the ground, apparently feeling what Chopper was feeling now, then she crossed her arms in a delicate X in front of her chest. "Which direction is it coming from?" Robin asked very seriously.

He had said out loud that it was just footsteps, hadn't he? Chopper didn't think it was anything serious. But it would be rude to _not_ tell Robin, and he was never one to be rude. Chopper listened especially closely, closing his eyes to aid the process. "Umm... Left and... a little bit that way." He pointed with his nose.

"_Dos fleur_," Robin announced and the few passersby jumped, eyeing her warily. Chopper watched her add to an arm count he couldn't see. She closed her eyes and summoned more limbs and that's when Chopper started to worry.

"What is it?" Chopper asked, tilting his head.

Robin pursed her lips. "We need to get your herbs and get back to the ship," she said, opening her eyes. "The Marines are searching the island, it looks like, and I'd venture a guess they're searching for us."

oOo

He had been stupid. He felt his reasoning was valid, and he didn't want to get yelled at anymore, but he shouldn't have left Sanji to handle Luffy alone. It was indecent of him and no one was going to like him any better for abandoning them. Zoro didn't normally care about popularity, but this time he didn't have much choice.

For what felt like the first time in his life, Zoro knew exactly where he was going and exactly how to get there. He also knew with a startling certainty that he was going to get there and not get lost, not this time. He wasn't sure why he was sure, and that just made it more confusing to think about. The green-haired man chalked it up to a gut feeling, knowing all the while that it probably wasn't. He didn't feel like delving into the whole situation just yet, but he could not be blamed for that. At least he was going back.

Sanji would probably be mad at him. No, he definitely would. Furious, even. He might pick a fight or just attack Zoro without warning. It wouldn't be completely unwarranted, but he wasn't just going to accept it if and when it happened. He would fight back, whether the cook was having brain problems or not. Unless, of course, Sanji surprised him by not being mad. If he was grateful that Zoro came back or something equally unlikely. If he welcomed Zoro back with open arms and they had a conversation devoid of shouting. They would have a snack together and talk about Luffy, maybe share a midday drink.

But that thought process was getting a little weird. He didn't care to be welcomed with open arms by Sanji. It was strange just to think about. They were nakama and, beyond that, rivals. He would not like to be hugged by anyone, but especially not a temperamental cook. What was his brain thinking, suggesting things like that to him? He hadn't had enough sleep, apparently.

On his way to the ship, Zoro heard some kind of commotion. It was in a neighborhood that had been or at least seemed abandoned when he had been there before. Zoro remembered, annoyingly enough, that he and Sanji had hidden not too far from there, avoiding the Marines. The vines hanging down out of trees and over rocks put a fuzzy kind of feeling in his gut that made him want to focus on anything other than the vines, for odd memory-spurring reasons. Instead, he tried to focus on what was being said.

"They can't just barge in-"

"We should turn them in to the-"

"Hey, we can't do that-"

"_Calm down_!"

The commotion ceased, as did Zoro's progress towards the ship. Not entirely without his consent, his legs moved towards the voices. "Now, I know we aren't loyal to any pirates, so you can stop telling me about that," the same voice that had ordered people calm spoke up. "This is for our own good, people! If they have an easy victory over the pirates, they'll still have the energy to look into us! We all agreed on this plan! Play dumb, let them chase! Besides, it's not like the pirates are bothering us. They're peaceful!"

Zoro was getting very confused. As far as he could tell, the locals were protecting them. But then they were doing it for themselves? It didn't make any sense. How could it benefit them to knowingly protect wanted criminals? Were they trying to get in trouble with the Marines?

"Now that that's covered, get back to the groves, everyone! As soon as the Marines leave with the pirates, we've gotta get this month's _special_ mushroom shipment out, so we need to have everything picked and packed!" the same voice concluded, and then Zoro heard a bunch of whispering from a place he still couldn't quite see, and a lot of footsteps. Without another peep, the commotion was gone.

_What a weird island_, Zoro thought. _Sounds like they're up to no good_. He briefly considered investigating, but then he remembered he had a ship to get to. Which way had he been going again?

oOo

"There they are! Finally! Hey, Chopper, Robin!" Nami and Usopp waved as one, running up to their nakama on the long-unpopulated street. "You guys are not going to guess what we just saw in town!" Usopp told them.

Robin and Chopper turned to them, loaded down with their purchases. "If it's the Marines, then we won't have to," Chopper said solemnly, hitting them with his sad eyes.

"You already know?" Nami questioned, standing beside Robin. "Why the hell aren't you two heading back to the ship, then? It's docked south of here."

"Yeah! We aren't on their good side, remember?" Usopp chimed in, already in panic mode. Despite the fact that he was agreeing with her, Nami rolled her eyes.

The archaeologist cleared her throat quietly. "Doctor-san has some medicinal herbs to get that absolutely cannot wait," Robin said, her tone very serious, but her face smiling. "We are going to the herb shop now for just a few things, and then we are going to go back to the ship."

Usopp made a sound of despair, throwing up his arms. "Really? We all left the ship at the same time, how is it you haven't done the most important thing yet?!" he screeched.

As a favor to the other two, who would never do something like that, Nami slapped Usopp upside the head. "Calm down, idiot. It's just one little errand, it won't take long. We'll still get back to the ship in no time," she answered haughtily, almost convincing herself.

"It... It really is important," Chopper added shyly, offering the words to soothe Usopp.

The sniper sighed heavily. "Fine, fine," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "We're already almost there, anyway, right? Let's just get this grass-"

"Herbs," Robin cut in, with a polite smile and a gesture for Usopp to continue.

Nami saw his eye twitch. "Let's get these _herbs_," he said and paused, eyeing Robin in a "happy now?" sort of way, "and get back to the ship. Quickly."

"Of course," Chopper confirmed, clopping a little faster down the empty road.

It took more than a few minutes traveling at a hurried pace to get where they could see their destination. A shoddy little building about as dirty as the ground itself and as distinguished as a two-legged alley cat, the shop announced itself as "One-stop Herb-shop" with a cardboard sign taped to wood splinters. Chopper ran ahead of the others in a joyous spurt of energy, while they stayed behind to think their own thoughts about the apparently abandoned building.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Nami asked, crinkling her nose at the dingy, squat little hole in the wall. "It looks haunted."

"Well, the sign..." Chopper trailed off. As giddy as he may have been, evidently he could not find a plus side at that moment either.

Usopp apparently didn't share their opinions. "This place is great! I've seen much worse second-hand stores. Compared to places I've shopped, this is a five-star hotel!" he exclaimed, jogging past Chopper up to the door of the place.

"It does have a certain... character," Robin observed with an open-mindedness that Nami did not reflect. "Some of the most, shall we say, thorough businesses are right under our noses, pretending at nothing."

Nami grimaced. "I believe in truth in advertising," she said sourly, stepping over a strange blue plant in a small flower pot on the sidewalk.

While no one else was in any kind of hurry, Usopp knocked cheerily on the cracked wooden door. "Hello? Is anybody here? We're looking for some medicinal weed- herbs," he called through the door, smiling down at Chopper as the little doctor walked up beside him. "I got it that time," Usopp bragged at a lower volume.

"I didn't say anything about that," Chopper told him with a confused little frown.

Before anything else could be said, a clatter sounded from the other side of the door, and then a peephole they had not been aware of slid open. A large dark eye peered out at Usopp, then Chopper, and then blinked at the women. "Go away!" a very young voice shouted from behind the door, causing the pirates to jump.

"E-excuse me?" Usopp stuttered.

Chopper looked over his reindeer shoulder at the Robin and Nami and tilted his head questioningly before turning back to the door and asking, "Are you closed?"

The eye looked down at Chopper and blinked again. "What the hell are you?" the voice asked and the eye became a suspicious slit.

"Uhh…" Chopper looked around, apparently searching for an answer that wasn't the truth.

Robin, who had come to stand beside Chopper, helpfully cut in; "I believe, in this situation, it is appropriate to say he asked you a question first."

A small, garbled little curse came from the door and the eye disappeared in a flash of brown. When the mysterious eye came back a moment later, it had a childishly angry shine to it. "Fine! We are closed. The Marines're storming the island and, if you were from around here, you'd know that," the unidentifiable little voice told them. "If I was y'all, I'd git all my friends and go somewhere safe. Ya don't wanna get busted, do ya?"

Usopp began stammering and Chopper started to protest, but Nami cut both of them off. "Why exactly are they here?" she asked. An instinctual suspicion which she often had was nagging at her. She glanced at Robin and saw the same thing on her face. Sometimes Nami could be wrong and she accepted that, but when Robin apparently had the same idea, wrong was hardly an option at all.

The mysterious eye blinked rapidly, becoming wider with each reopening. "You, all of ya, should know the answer t' that question," the voice said, truly sounding as if it were obvious.

"W-w-w-why?" Usopp questioned, staggering back from the door. "I-i-is there a d-d-d-dangerous c-criminal o-o-on the loose?"

"I do not think that's it," Robin said, inclining her head slightly in thought. "Does the presence of the Marines have anything to do with this island's massive production of hallucinogenic mushrooms?"

A loud clattering thud from the inside of the small shop was the only sound. It was sufficient enough by itself, they all seemed to agree, to describe the situation as it stood. There were multiple, smaller clatters and a number of curses from the other side of the door and the peephole fell shut.

"Robin," Chopper began, interrupting the strange silence, "what are you talking about?"

"Yeah. Where did that come from?" Usopp asked.

Nami shook her head. "I should've known it was a criminal island," she berated herself as her nagging feeling subsided. These things were always happening to them.

The archaeologist smiled pleasantly. "I believe I read it somewhere. And there are quite a few mushroom carts all over the island. In addition, all the natives appear to be avoiding the Marines at all costs."

"So, you just guessed?" Usopp questioned, confused by Robin's logic.

She nodded. "That is about the size of things, yes," Robin confirmed.

Something slammed into the door and the peephole flew open once more. "There's no way that was just a guess! You pirates're in cahoots with the Marines, aren'tcha?" the disembodied voice shouted, wide eye pressed into the tiny circular window. "I knew it! We're definitely closed!" And with that, the peephole slammed shut and there was a great sound of metal clinking against itself and a deadbolt sliding shut.

"But, I still need herbs…!" Chopper's head drooped and he fell out of his walking point and into his usual form. "I can hear footsteps going away from the door," he said. "I think they're really closed."

"How did he know we're pirates?" Usopp asked after another small silence. None of them had an answer for him.

Looks were exchanged back and forth. There wasn't much they could do about the shop being closed and, in Nami's mind, there wasn't much time they had to do anything else, either. "We should head back to the ship," she stated.

"Agreed."

"I guess so…"

"Finally!"

oOo

Zoro looked around for about the millionth time, almost sure he was going the right way this time. That stupid inlet was moving around on him again. He could swear it did that because Sanji wanted it to. Luckily, he felt he was close enough upon it that he would be able to find it no matter what.

The sudden loss of proper direction after he'd overheard the somewhat riotous discussion earlier troubled Zoro. For a few minutes, he would be convinced that it was nothing, and then it would hit him as suspicious. He had other things on his mind that he was more concerned about, but it bothered him. He had a feeling like being too late and missing something important. Zoro wanted to put it out of his mind, and so he did. Left, he told himself, and the subject was gone as he made a sharp turn.

It didn't take long for him to simultaneously reach the coast and come back to the thought that something fishy had happened. He didn't know why it should bother him so much. The cook could take care of himself for God's sake. Even if something did happen, he would be able to handle it, regardless of the incapacitation that was Luffy at the moment. But Zoro could not abolish his bad feeling.

A nearby rustling woke Zoro from his thoughts. He snapped his attention to the spot and, to his surprise, four of his nakama walked out onto the rocky beach. The swordsman was disappointed and suspicious to see all but the two Nakama he was actually worried about.

"Oh, Zoro!" Chopper exclaimed, blinking in surprise at him. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Sanji were keeping an eye on Luffy and the ship…?"

The others waited for him to answer, but Zoro didn't feel like telling them he got frustrated and ran away, so he just shrugged.

Usopp and Chopper exchanged looks that Zoro didn't like and Nami and Robin looked at him incredulously to the degree of their own personalities. "What does that even mean? You don't know?" Nami asked snappishly.

"Swordsman-san… You did not just leave Cook-san and Captain-san on their own, did you?" Robin asked, more worried-sounding than Zoro thought was necessary for scolding him about abandoning duties.

"I didn't _just_ leave," Zoro began, not entirely sure what would be the right answer, but taking a stab at it anyway. "I left a while ago," he tried, and was met with vaguely horrified, disapproving expressions. "The shit-cook wanted me to leave," he amended. It didn't help much.

"You know we're running from the Marines, don't you? Or have you been asleep these past few days?" Nami asked with narrowed eyes, sounding on the verge of a mental breakdown. Usopp was two steps ahead of her.

The sniper fell against Robin's side and she pushed him away a little with two spare arms as he wailed. "They're storming the island because they've already got Luffy and Sanji! I'm sure that's it! We're going to be caught and arrested and hanged and- Oh! I've come down with the fatal 'can't-even-think-about-the-Marines' disease!"

Zoro's blood ran cold. "The Marines are storming the island? This island?" he asked. "I thought they already searched the island. They should be gone by now."

"Well, they're still here," Chopper mentioned timidly, turning his head to one side and sniffing audibly. "I don't think they know where we are, though."

"That's good news," Robin commented, holding the convalescent Usopp up and away from her person with ten or twelve spare arms. "What about the ship, Doctor-san? Can you tell if the Marines have found it? That is, can you smell them or hear them talking about it?"

Zoro saw Chopper frown and felt his heart drop. It would be his fault if the ship had been besieged. He should never have left. He'd been an idiot. If he were to speak in his own defense, he'd say Sanji had been an idiot too, but he wasn't much interested in his own defense at the moment. "I can't tell," Chopper said after a while. "Far as I can smell, they're still a while back in town, but it's hard to tell when we're right next to the ocean. Sorry!"

"Then we'd better hurry," Nami announced profoundly, starting in a direction that Zoro wasn't sure was the right one. Nonetheless, they all followed her unquestionable lead.

_I should never have left, _Zoro thought again, scowling deeper with every step. _That damn cook better be okay. If anything happened to him or Luffy, I'll kill them both_. He hovered briefly on the idea that that was not a proper course of action, but then the ship was in sight and something much more immediately pressing jumped to mind.

"Why is the ship covered in vines?" Usopp asked, emerging from his stupor just enough to be confused. "Were we gone that long?! So long that plants grew around the Merry?!"

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the suggestion. He knew they hadn't been gone that long. He couldn't think of why they were there, all the green, ivy-looking vines strewn over the ship, but it only served to add fuel to his sinking feeling. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed like something bad had happened, something that could be helped by dressing the ship with vines and overhanging branches.

While everyone else stopped short, Robin walked up closer to the side of the ship, stepping into the ankle-deep water in the process. "No," she said, glancing back at Usopp, "that's not it. These vines have been torn, see? Someone put them here. I'll give you two guesses as to whom."

Usopp and Nami both brew in breaths to speak, but Chopper silenced them with a gasp. The little doctor dropped his books on the stony ground and morphed into his heavy point. "Luffy! Sanji!" he called shrilly, stumbling towards the rope ladder.

Zoro didn't like his tone. Or his expression. Or the lack of response. "Oi!" Zoro shouted, charging up to the ship beside Chopper and Robin. "Shit-cook, you better not be slacking off!" That line always got to Sanji, Zoro knew. The cook was constantly insisting that Zoro was the one slacking off all the time. Even so, there was no reply.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked, wobbling strangely between taking a step forward and taking a step back.

Chopper looked back at her, his mouth hanging open and his eyes similarly wide. "I don't hear any heartbeats…!"

**Oh, yeah, that's where I ended it. xD How frackin' mean am I? Well, no matter the answer, I have to get off my computer. Dx I hope to see that you liked this chapter when I next get online. :)**


	15. Time to Panic

**Hello everyone, and welcome to What The Fuck Is Your Excuse This Time? My excuse? Christmas. That is all.**

**This is probably the last chapter I'll get out before… February, realistically, but if I can stop dawdling, this story won't last too much longer.**

… **Which I may have said multiple times, but it's really true this time, I can feel it.**

_Twenty minutes earlier..._

_Luffy was fidgeting to get away from him, but Sanji held fast. The Marines had docked on the other side of the large rock they were hiding behind. Sanji could see the tops of the masts over the rock and somehow he could no longer blink._

_He could hear the hum of a chattering group of soldiers, but no words jumped out at him. The Captain continued to struggle against his hold and Sanji shushed him quietly. Even though he'd covered the ship in vines and branches to hide the hell out of it, the Marines weren't making enough noise of their own to miss it if Luffy started screaming again._

_"Calm down," Sanji ordered in a whisper. "They'll leave soon enough, and then we can go find the others and get the hell off this island."_

_Luffy didn't seem to be listening. He stopped fidgeting just long enough to straighten his hat, and then he started slapping at Sanji's arms like he was swatting mosquitoes. All the while, he was trying to talk through Sanji's hand._

_The cook lowered himself and Luffy to the deck, just low enough that they wouldn't be seen over the railing. He knew it wouldn't help if the Marines were to climb up the large rock, but if they only scouted on land there wasn't a chance they'd see the pirates._

_Everything but Luffy and the waves fell silent and still, it seemed. That, Sanji felt, was an immeasurably good thing. Or a horrible thing. But, his nerves were soothed and his pulse was calmed. Peace was welcome. Expressions like "the calm before the storm" didn't register in his mind; he just knew it was nice to relax for a minute, even if Luffy didn't seem to know what relaxing was._

_And then Luffy flung out his arms and legs and Sanji couldn't hold on and the Captain slipped out of his grip and vaulted over the edge of the ship, stumbled in the water and ran across the sand. Sanji started to call out after him, but in light of how close the Marines were, he decided to just chase Luffy down and hoped to catch him before they were spotted._

o _End flashback_ o

After chasing him around the bluffs and into town, Sanji was keeping a tight hold on Luffy's wrist. The captain was trying to pull him along, very uncomfortably, Sanji thought, but he was being muck more cooperative overall. Well, except for the part where he didn't want to go back to the ship, but aside from that they were having a dandy afternoon.

"Let's go look in there," Luffy said suddenly and swerved sharply toward a storefront, yanking Sanji along behind him. The cook had very little choice and even less time to react as he was dragged into a little mint-green shop.

The shop seemed to specialize in odd doo-dads that doubled as pens. There were other things, non-pen things, like plastic bouquets and generic pictures specifically purposed for ship cabins, but mostly it sold weird-looking pens. Pens disguised as chopsticks and "pen-pen mushi" and bird-shaped pens. It was strange. But to Luffy, who was predilected towards weird, it was just a fun little shop.

"Hey, Sanji, look at this!" Luffy held up a pig pen and laughed. He then presented the pen to Sanji. "Here! Make me some meat! Shishishishi!"

Sanji shook his head and put the pen back on the shelf, trying to keep his smile fond if only for the benefit of the lady at the counter in the middle of the store. "If you want some meat, we have to go back to the ship," Sanji mentioned, trying for subtly persuasive. The woman behind the counter glanced at them and Sanji smiled at her. "It _is_ about lunchtime," he said to Luffy.

"Nah," the captain rejected, "I'd rather have an adventure."

The lady at the counter, who had short red hair like a certain navigator, was doing a poor job of making it look like she was doing paperwork. She held a very lifelike bonsai tree pen, hovering over the page, but she was staring right at Sanji and Luffy. A little watching was expected, as they were the only patrons in the shop, but she was downright leering at them. Attractive though she may be, her stare gave Sanji a bad feeling.

"Whoa!" Luffy snatched up a cartographer's compass shaped like a generic jolly roger. "Sanji, look how cool this is! Can I get this one?!" Luffy shouted, inserting himself forcefully into Sanji's personal space.

The cook stepped back once. "Why would you need a compass?" Sanji asked. "All you do is eat and dive headlong into trouble, no compass required."

Luffy turned his head to look at Sanji, his bottom lip jutting out. "Pleeeaase~?!" he whined, holding the compass up next to his face as if that made any difference to Sanji. No matter what face he made, Luffy still didn't need a compass, even if it looked like a jolly roger.

"Put it back, Luffy. There are better things to spend your allowance on," Sanji assured him, resigning himself to perusing the shelves as long as Luffy wanted to remain in the shop. He thought that would be that and Luffy would be on about food, but the straw-hats' captain gave a great and bizarre whine. Sanji turned back to Luffy with a reprimand on his tongue. However, he couldn't get the words out before he was tackle-hugged.

"Pleasepleaseplease~ let me get it, Sanji, please! I promise I'll use it and I won't ask for anything else ever again, I swear!" Luffy wailed, hugging Sanji's waist tightly and at the same time poking Sanji in the back with one end of the compass.

The lady at the counter wasn't even pretending anymore. She was staring at them point-blank, and Luffy wasn't paying a lick of attention, but Sanji was and her odd sneery look was unnerving. With another glance at the shop attendant, Sanji began prying Luffy off of himself. "Okay, okay, okay, you can have it," Sanji said quickly, "but you use your money and you don't ask for anything else, got it? And the second you put it down, I'm giving it to Nami-swan as a present!"

Luffy stepped away from Sanji and cheered, apparently ignoring the fact that Sanji would give his compass away, among all the other things—straightforward or not—that should not have been ignored. Sanji supposed he should have been happy that Luffy had agreed to his terms, but he'd really hoped to avoid the lady behind the register, above all things at the moment. Aside from her leering, Sanji couldn't think why he would be so rude as to avoid her.

With another shout of delight, Luffy blew past all the other shelves, apparently having lost all interest in shopping around, and bounced up to the counter. He seemed to miss the fact that the lady was looking at him like he'd just stolen his chosen item from a child before her very eyes. "I'm gonna buy this now!" he told the woman and she scowled further. While, under normal circumstances, Sanji would think something to the effect of it being a shame to mar such a beautiful face with a sour expression, he did not feel such a thought applied to their circumstances.

"Are you sure you don't need to look around a little more?" the redheaded clerk woman asked tightly. "We have an excellent array of fine knick-knacks and souvenirs, as well as unique souvenirs." Her tone was robotic and a little snarky, if Sanji's ears weren't mistaken.

Luffy nodded and began regaling the tale of his love affairs with jolly rogers very enthusiastically to the woman behind the register. Sanji came up beside him, waffling between kicking Luffy to make him shut up and just leaving, when he noticed the woman's impressive bosom. He grinned at her, appreciatively, he thought, but that only proved to upset her further.

"Now stop you yakking!" the exceptionally lovely clerk woman snapped. "If you're sure, just hand it over so I can check the price!"

Sanji was taken aback. Her rudeness was extraordinary, but that wasn't what bothered him. Something about her was suspicious, and not just a little bit. Whatever it was, it was sufficiently jarring, which was a lot, he realized, coming from a pirate and chef of the sea. Something was really wrong.

"Luffy…" Sanji began trying to warn his friend, but Luffy had already snatched a handful of his allowance out of his pocket and tossed it on the counter, ready to be on his way.

As much as Sanji agreed with that sentiment, he stopped himself from making a break for it. Nami would kill him if she found out that he'd let Luffy grossly over-spend on a compass he didn't even need. And she always found out.

With a sigh, Sanji grabbed onto Luffy's shirt tail to keep him from leaving. The cook walked up to the counter with Luffy obliviously attempting to walk in the other direction behind him and he cleared his throat. "I apologize, madam, for my obnoxious friend," Sanji cooed at her, leaning his elbow on the counter and smiling his most debonair smile at the woman. "We aren't that close, but I'm pretty sure this man has brain damage." The woman gave him a "no shit" look. "My charming blossom of a woman, if you would be so kind, I believe my stupid friend's purchase was marked at thirty beli, and though it is natural for a man to want to give you anything and everything, my friend and I have other errands we must run today," Sanji said, finishing with a look that he usually found brought him empathy.

The clerk woman didn't seem to care. He supposed he couldn't blame her for whatever bad mood she was in, but instead he wondered if _he_ were slipping. His suspicion may have taken its toll on his demeanor. Maybe he didn't sound as cheerful or adoring as he thought he did, he realized, as the woman continued to stare boredly at him, but then she made a disgusted sound and turned away.

"Whatever," the redheaded lady said witheringly. She picked up the cash that Luffy had carelessly thrown on the counter and thumbed through it slowly. After counting through twice, both times slower than a snail, she pulled about one thousand beli from the stack of bills and shoved the rest across the counter to Sanji. "That should cover it," she said snobbishly.

"Sanji, this store goes on forever!" Luffy shouted, sounding a little drunk and a lot alarmed. Sanji rolled his eyes. He was holding on to Luffy's shirt still and Luffy had, apparently, forgotten that he could stretch, so he was just sliding back to where he started on the hardwood floor. However, while Sanji was not at all bothered by the length of the store, he was uneasy for a much harder reason to pinpoint. He couldn't quite lay a finger on the reason yet, but it made his skin itch in anticipation of something bad.

The cook turned around and patted Luffy on the back, perhaps pushing him a little. Over his shoulder he called, "Have a nice day!" for some illogical reason, and then he urged Luffy back out onto the sidewalk.

"W-wait a second!" The redheaded clerk stumbled out from behind the counter a bit, gaping at the pirates. "You- Don't you want your change?"

That was the last clue he needed. Marines and official-looking locals Sanji thought he'd seen on the road earlier were coming towards them from both sides and, now that he'd noticed them, they were moving fast.

"Luffy," Sanji called, holding on to Luffy's arm. "Run."

oOo

"Can you smell them yet?" Usopp called from the crow's nest, the only uncovered spot on the ship. Chopper was halfway up one of the bluffs in pursuit of a scent, but everyone could see it clearly when he shook his head.

"Nothing's missing in here," Nami called from her room/the treasury.

Robin nodded, surveying the foredeck and the storage room at the same time from down on the beach. "Indeed. There is not a crate or rope out of place."

Zoro paced heavily across the deck, hurrying down to the anchor deck. The cannons didn't look like they'd been fired recently, and there weren't any traces of battle above deck either. To the best of his reasoning, they had just picked up and left, but that didn't make any sense. Both of them were sick and injured and, unless someone had cleaned the ship after a fight, there didn't appear to have been any danger. So why had they gone? And where?

"Does anyone see a note anywhere?" Nami shouted, sounding to be directly above Zoro. "Sanji-kun wouldn't just leave the ship unattended without saying anything."

From a muffled distance, Usopp gave an alarmed yelp. "G-g-guys! I don't know about a note but-" If he said more, Zoro didn't hear it. The swordsman stalked out of the anchor deck using some effort not to run, trying to make it onto the main deck before he completely missed what was going on.

"You're kidding!" Chopper squeaked across from where he'd nearly reached the top of the giant rock he was climbing.

"No," Usopp wheezed, "no, I'm not."

As Zoro was about to ask what was going on, Robin made a thoughtful sound and he looked to her. "That explains it," she said, putting a hand to her lips thoughtfully. "Captain-san and Cook-san must have hidden the ship and left to avoid drawing the Marines' attention to our hiding place."

The invisible knife in Zoro's chest turned. Great. While he was off in a huff, annoyed for some reason that he couldn't remember anymore, leaving Sanji to manage their ill captain by himself, the Marines had almost discovered them. A powerful guilt was wriggling its way through Zoro's entire body. "Where are they?" he croaked.

Nami turned her whole body towards him sharply. Her eyes were alight with worry and rage and she looked like she was about to explode. "On the other side of that cliff right there, you goddamned idiot!" she spat, flinging out her whole arm just to gesture to the bluffs on the portside. "Didn't you pay any attention before you went on your little walk? The ship could've been blown to pieces with Sanji-kun and Luffy on it and you were, what? Picking wildflowers?!"

"Obviously, it wasn't that stupid! The shitty cook was giving me hell about making Luffy worse or some shit like that, so I left!" Zoro shouted back at her. Those words didn't help expel any of his guilt. Rather, it made him flinch, hearing how selfish he sounded. What had been going through his mind at the time that he had been so idiotic, he couldn't think.

The navigator started to say something again, but very suddenly she snapped her mouth shut. A look he didn't often see on Nami crossed her face—a relinquishing look. "Whatever. I don't need to make you feel bad about it, I can tell," she said, turning away from him. "Besides, if I were to give you what you deserve, the Marines would hear me shouting." With that, Nami clomped off into the galley.

Zoro felt someone watching him and he frowned. He looked around until he met eyes with Usopp, who then yelped and ducked down inside the crow's nest. The swordsman was aware of Robin and Chopper listening in, and all the attention made him uncomfortable. They were blaming him; he was sure of it. And he—in that instance—was a part of "they." The weight of it was crushing him, but Zoro couldn't bring himself to believe he didn't deserve it.

"I'm gonna go find them," Zoro said suddenly, though he hadn't been fully aware of the thought in his head. Now that it was permeating in the air, though, he realized he actually was going to do it and he felt very strongly about that decision. Zoro nodded to himself, confirming his intent, and then he jumped off the ship onto the beach a few feet to Robin's left.

"I shall accompany you, Swordsman-san," Robin volunteered, stepping forward.

"No," Zoro refused flatly.

Robin smiled at him. "I was not requesting your permission."

There was a thud on the ship and Usopp appeared at the top of the rope ladder, straightening his bag on his shoulder. "I'll go too!" he called, starting down the ladder quickly.

"No," Zoro growled, more emphatically than before. "This is my responsibility. You don't have to-"

"I know, I know," Usopp interrupted, hopping down the last foot and a half to land. "But they're my friends, too! The Great Captain Usopp will not allow his friends to be hurt in any way!"

Zoro was about to commend Usopp's sudden bravery, albeit with some skepticism, but Robin beat him to speaking. "Sniper-san, are you only volunteering to help search for our nakama because the Marines are very near here?"

The long nose jumped. "N-n-no, obviously I'm just c-concerned for my friends! Yeah! Don't question me! How dare you?" Usopp hurriedly stuttered, puffing out his chest. "Now, c'mon crew! We're wasting daylight!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. It wasn't the most valiant cause ever, nor was it admirable, but he supposed that Usopp would help cover more ground. He glanced at Robin wondering about her questionably valiant motive, but then he turned his attention elsewhere. He wasn't likely to get an answer from her.

"Chopper!" Zoro called to the doctor who had one hoof on the top of the cliff, about to pull himself up. The reindeer turned his head. "When you get down from there, stay with the ship. Make sure everything's ready for us when we bring the other two back." Even at that distance, Zoro could see Chopper nod, and then all his business there was done. He had a captain and a shitty cook to find.

oOo

"I'm tiiiiirred~!" Luffy whined, nonetheless allowing himself to be dragged along behind Sanji. He'd almost dropped his compass when Sanji had suddenly yanked him forward a few minutes ago, shouting something about trouble and "ma" something after making Luffy run. The captain figured it was revenge for when he'd pulled Sanji around earlier, though he couldn't think why that deserved revenging.

"Shh!" Sanji hissed, pulling him down a narrow street with no people. "They're still after us, Luffy, can't you hear them? Be quiet so we can get away!"

The raven-haired boy was agreeing, or trying to, when he became lightheaded. Somehow, his running straight wasn't the same as the person who was pulling him and the world was moving too fast for him to keep up. He was tripping over his sandals and walking upside-down and hearing weird sounds and then he was very forcefully lying down.

"-ffy! Are y-… ay?" A fuzzy voice disturbed the small amount of peace he'd gotten between finding the ground and finding out it hurt.

"Owww…" He groaned, trying to push sit up. His head was hurting and he couldn't find his arms, but he had a feeling there was something else that he was supposed to be remembering. "Where are my arms…?"

Someone grabbed Luffy under the arms he still couldn't locate and pulled him up. "Oh, God…"

"What happened?" Luffy asked, trying to see through his swimming vision and figure out where he was.

"On my end of things, you fell, but," the voice was telling him, as he was rearranged by a pair of hands behind him, "I'm not sure _what_ happened on your end…"

Luffy found himself upright and being turned around and nothing seemed familiar. He had come face-to-face with a blond man who had just one eye and a curly eyebrow that sparked an itch in Luffy's brain, like he knew the man from somewhere, but he didn't know from where right off the top of his head. Maybe if he just thought about it long enough…

"What's wrong?" the blond man with the funny eyebrow asked him, still gripping his arms. "Are you alright?"

The man looked genuinely concerned for him, which was very nice, he supposed, but there was something bothering him. "Who… are you?" he asked, pointing at the blond man just in case he got confused. He was almost sure he recognized the man, but he'd never been very good with faces and certainly not with names.

The blond man gaped and, in the same moment, released Luffy's arms. "Wh- You… You don't…? Luffy, are you… scared of me or anything?"

He raised his eyebrows. To humor the man, he thought about it, but he knew right away that he wasn't scared of the man. In fact, for a stranger, he rather liked the man with the funny eyebrow. "Nope," he replied merrily, popping the "p," because that made it fun.

The blond man sighed. "Thank God. That'll make this a lot easier," the man said. He put a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Let's make this quick. I'm Sanji, you're my captain and we're running from the Marines. We have to get going before they catch up, okay Luffy?"

"Captain?" Luffy questioned, perking up. He was a captain. Unless that Sanji was lying to him, but he hardly knew the man so he couldn't think of any reason why Sanji would lie to him. That logic, Luffy thought, was very sound. "Alright. I'll come with you. Do we have a ship?"

Sanji smiled. "We sure do. This way to the port."

oOo

"Zoro, you're going to get lost if you keep wandering off!" Usopp called after the swordsman, who had strayed from the three-person group for the umpteenth time.

Robin shook her head as the two men began to argue about which way was the right way. Obviously they had passed over her offer to look around the island with any number of her spare eyes, but she was still doing it. They could argue all they wanted between the "gut-feeling" path and the "superior instinct" path, but Robin was doing things the right way and when she found out where the cook and the captain were she would point the bickering nimrods in the right direction.

Tuning them out, the archaeologist closed her eyes and focused on a building somewhere towards the middle of the island. Behind her eyelids the image came up, the view of the street from the front of the building. The locals looked uncomfortable and they all kept glancing to the left of the building Robin was currently a part of, so she used an arm to extend her eye away from the wall of the building and see what they were looking at. There was nothing out of the ordinary that she could see, but if she was not mistaken that path lead back towards the edge of the island. _Excellent._

"Pardon me, Sniper-san, Swordsman-san," Robin interjected into their conversation before Zoro could finish telling Usopp to shut up. "I believe we should go this way." She pointed without ever having to open her eyes or move her arms from their x shape in front of her chest. If she was correct in her assumption, which she often was, the arms she was sprouting from the ground would make a trail to where they would hopefully meet up with whatever had the townspeople so uneasy.

With a small but audible hesitation, the other two predictably altered their course to Robin's. She allowed herself a small moment of satisfaction at the victory and the relative silence that followed, but then she had to focus once more on locating their crew members.

Robin summoned a new arm with an eye every twenty feet in town, paying attention to where people were looking and who was most uncomfortable. It wasn't unexpected when, after stumbling upon a commotion, Robin found the Marines. They were ten or twelve of them at a glance and not one of them was happy. A man who dressed a little more sharply than the rest of the citizens was arguing with one of the Marines by the look of it, but Robin moved on quickly. She wasn't looking for the Marines.

Another distance down the street and around a corner, she spotted some more Marines looking around. She didn't care to bring forth an ear, so Robin just watched them angrily pace around and attempted to read their lips.

"What're you doing back there?" Zoro asked suddenly and loudly, interrupting her concentration.

"Quiet," Robin ordered and fell back into tracking the upset Marines. She moved her eye closer to the cluster of three Marines and watched closely. "Damn pirates," one appeared to be saying. Robin altered her course accordingly. _How convenient_.

"Why are we changing? I thought you knew where we were heading!" Usopp questioned her, causing her to lose sight in the town for a moment.

Peeved, Nico Robin opened one eye to leer at Usopp. "I have almost found our missing nakama. If you wish to keep interrupting me, we could just stand back and allow the _Marines_ to find them before we do."

The sniper gulped, and then turned to face forward. "N-no thanks, you- you, uh, do your thing," he stuttered, looking wide-eyed at Zoro as if pleading for rescue. To Robin's great pleasure, Zoro did not even look at him.

With renewed silence, Robin went back to where she had been on the side of a vendor's cart. From that vantage point, she spotted a thin little backstreet that looked like a perfect escape route. If the Marines had been chasing Luffy and Sanji, which she believed was very likely, then they may have escaped down that or some similar road.

Further down the small service alley, Robin could see a shopkeeper picking up trash from a fallen bin. The shopkeeper looked aggrieved and kept glaring over his shoulder, and then leering at the end of the alley the Marines were on. _Interesting_, she thought. _It looks like there was a disturbance that way. Perhaps even caused by the Marines. Promising…_

Robin sent her spyglasses like a wave down the wall of the alley and one to either side of it. After a minute or two of walking physically by the edge of the island and mentally in four different areas around the middle of the island, she found another shopkeeper, disheveled and eyeing a particular path with disdain. She followed that path with similar results for a while longer and, before her physical body even got as far as the edge of town, she saw them.

They were apparently having a conversation, which seemed very casual, considering how close the Marines were to finding them, but they looked for the most part unharmed. Sanji seemed perhaps a little anxious, but that could be explained by their situation that was common knowledge amongst the crew; it didn't have to have anything to do with what had happened since the cook and the captain left the safety of the ship.

"I've found them," Robin said, keeping one eye closed. "Take this next right."

With minimal complaint or questioning, the boys followed her directions through the town, avoiding the Marines and angry townspeople that she'd seen while searching the island to meet their nakama in a quiet section of the island overrun by vines.

"Robin-chwaaan~!" the cook cooed upon spotting her. He began to noodle towards her but stopped before he got too far from Luffy's side. "Oh. Sorry," Sanji said to Luffy, who was calmly advancing to stand near Sanji again, looking unlike himself in every way but appearance. Even from the back of their little troupe, Robin could see the surprise on the others' faces. She could not say she disagreed with that sentiment. "Luffy, this is Robin-chan, Usopp and Zoro. They're in your crew as well."

Luffy raised his eyebrows in a much milder display of surprise than Usopp and Zoro were expressing, perhaps even milder than the surprise Robin felt. "Oh, really?" Luffy asked, grinning at Sanji. "Cool! They all look so fun!" He turned to the other three. "Hey, are we good friends? Am I the best captain?"

"What…?" Usopp's shoulders dropped.

"Not this again," Zoro groaned.

Sanji just shrugged. He didn't seem too bothered by Luffy's recurring memory-loss, and yet he did not leave Luffy's side, not even to do his usual fawning. Robin found that very curious. Telling, perhaps, of their close bond, but Robin could see a glimmer of something else beneath the surface of it all that, although obscure, seemed much more telling.

"Is everything alright, Cook-san?" Robin asked, arching one brow at him. A tiny bubble of amusement formed in her chest, but she swallowed it down, waiting for Sanji's answer before she got excited about secrets. "Apart from Captain-san's _condition_, of course."

"Whoa!" Luffy leapt forward at Robin. "She talks like an old lady! That's so funny!"

The boys sputtered into shocked laughter, except Luffy, who full-on guffawed.

"How could you say that?!" Sanji barked, looking enraged but laughing in spurts of lingering surprise.

"You can't pretend that's not the truth," Zoro warned Sanji, still grinning at their captain's exclamation.

In the span of some five seconds, Robin noticed many things, the first of which was a distinct snub from Sanji aimed at Zoro that she felt Nami would want to know about. The next things, in no exact order were that they all seemed to think she talked like an old lady; the empty street had become somewhat populated by on-lookers who were all focused on the pirates; and the group of Marines from before had rounded the corner, guns drawn.

**Dun-dun-DUUUUUUNNNNN! Sorry if the last few paragraphs were a little weird, but we're picking up steam, people! This story probably won't take until next Christmas! xDD**


	16. All in favor of peace, say I

**God this took foreverrrrrrr... *ish now dead***

**But I did it! I really did it. I even kind of got back into the story, which I didn't think was going to really happen. I had always intended to finish this story since it was my first step into the multi-chapter fic-verse that got anywhere, but now I can really see it.**

**If anyone is still with me on this project, or any project, thank you so much. I appreciate each and every one of you (if there is more than one of you) and I hope you like this chapter. :)**

For some reason, everyone had stopped. It seemed like they were having fun and then the people claiming to be his nakama-that he was pretty sure were the coolest people he'd ever met-just stopped talking. He wasn't sure why they were doing that, but he thought he'd play along.

The one with the funny eyebrow, Sanji, cursed and looked off behind him at whatever he'd decided to freeze looking at. A bit further away from him, the green-haired one, the long-nosed one and the young old lady shared a glance, one that looked important, but Luffy thought they were taking the game too seriously.

"Guys~! Aren't we going to my shiiiip~?" Luffy whined, becoming impatient with the quiet game. "I wanna see iiiiitt~! I don't even know what it's caaalled!"

"Luffy," the green-haired one—Zoro, he thought—said, "shut up for a minute."

That was a little rude and the green guy looked angry, but Luffy laughed. It seemed like something he should laugh at, although he didn't know the guy. He just knew he didn't really have to shut up, and the Zoro guy wouldn't mind.

"Y-you… Do you g-guys think we can h-handle this? I-I mean… c-c-can _he_… handle this?" the long-nosed guy—Usopp—chattered, gesturing to Luffy himself.

"We will just have to see," the young old lady, Robin, said, looking at Luffy with deep eyes, full of all her old lady knowledge.

Luffy didn't know what they were talking about, but he didn't want to know. It was too serious, so he didn't like it. Actually, he would rather stick to the quiet and still game than be serious about whatever was going on.

"Halt!"

Someone to his left shrieked horribly. He looked around for the wailing person and spotted a crying child, maybe seven or eight years old. The kid was staring right back at him with big teary eyes and pointing at something behind Luffy. He tilted his head at the kid, then turned around. He thought maybe it'd seen a monster by the way the kid was wailing, but all he saw were people.

"Great," Zoro spat, grabbing something on his hip and glaring in the same direction as the kid was pointing.

Luffy looked at him, then back at the people down the street. He started to ask what was so great about them when a loud sound interrupted him. The sound was familiar to him and it stirred up one hell of a headache, but he didn't know what it was. And then he felt a strange, slightly painful stretch in his gut that may have been the weirdest hunger pain of his life or it may have been something pressing into his abdomen, but neither made any sense to him.

He looked down at himself. There was a deep indentation right in the middle of his torso that made his eyes bug out of his head. He could barely feel it for what it looked like, but wasn't that serious? That deep little hole in his body thing, wasn't that bad? Wasn't it supposed to hurt? Like a lot? And _bleed_? Oh God, he was starting to panic. But he couldn't _not_ panic, waiting for whatever anomaly it was to start doing something.

And do something it did. In spectacular fashion—as if that could be avoided—his skin bounced back and a small dark object flew out of him in the direction of the people that the kid had been wailing and pointing at.

"Whoa!" Luffy gasped, staring slack-jawed as whatever had left him whizzed through the air, almost like a speeding- _Wait a second_…

"Duck!" a man shouted and all the people down the street dove onto the pavement.

Luffy turned to the funny group claiming to be his crew. They all didn't seem to have noticed what just happened, but he was just realizing exactly how serious it was. "Did I just get _shot_?!" he asked them loudly. He didn't need their confirmation, though, because he remembered what the sound was and the little dark object now stirred memories of having repelled bullets before and what the _hell_ even was his life that his nakama weren't shocked?

"He doesn't even-?"

"Nope," Sanji interrupted Usopp and shook his head. "Not a thing. All he knew was his name."

Luffy didn't know what they were talking about, but it could not be even remotely as important as what was happening to him. "Was that a _bullet_ that just bounced out of me?!" he asked, louder than before.

The green guy—no, Zoro—stepped towards him. "Luffy, that happens all the time," he said, looking very serious but not at all surprised. "Don't you know what you are?"

He looked around at the other, who were all just as serious-but-not-surprised as Zoro, and he thought about it. Really thought about it, since they seemed to think it was something he'd forgotten. And maybe he had, for a moment, forgotten it, but he was thinking about it now and it came to him much like that bullet had.

"I'm a… human shield!" he announced proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Holy- No! That's not it!" Sanji smacked his own forehead with his hand. "Why would you think you're a _human shield_?"

Luffy frowned. "Because I wasn't hurt and I sent the bullet… Hey… am I a human _gun_?!" The revelation was exciting. He liked the sound of that. It was cool and legit and-

"No! Not even close!" Usopp chimed in, mimicking Sanji's reaction.

He was about to ask how that could be wrong when another gunshot, and another, and another, rang out. Luffy turned to the people at the end of the street that the wailing child had been pointing at—people he realized suddenly were all dressed alike and carrying weapons—and flung out his arms. Three little blurs hit him; on in his leg, one in his hand, one in his neck. They stopped without breaking the skin and seemed to hesitate a moment before flying from him almost faster than they were to start with.

The gunmen hit the deck again and a nearby stone building was visibly and audibly chipped by a bullet. "How am I _not_ a human gun?" Luffy asked, loud and smug, with his arms raised high above his head.

"Perhaps this is not the best time to be having this discussion," young-old Robin suggested.

"Agreed!" Usopp lurched forward, grabbed one of Luffy's arms and started dragging him towards the people without guns.

oOo

Somehow they all knew what to do like they'd rehearsed it, but they hadn't. In fact, Zoro was flying by the seat of his pants to the extreme that he wasn't sure what he was doing from one second to the next. If he weren't moving in exact coordination with Sanji and Robin, he would wonder what was going on. But he knew what was happening. They were being caged-in by the Marines and Luffy thought he was a human gun and they _had_ to get back to the ship.

"How did our captain get like this again?" Robin asked casually, even though she'd been the one to banish the conversation a minute ago.

"I don't know," Sanji said, frowning with his eyes turned down. "We were running from the Marines, and then it was like he forgot how to walk or something. He tripped and when he got up he didn't know me, and that is the extent of my knowledge on the subject."

Zoro rolled his eyes. _What a surprise—the mystery is still a mystery_. "I thought we were putting off conversation to cover Luffy and Usopp," Zoro said through gritted teeth, glaring over his shoulder at Robin, who appeared to be pointedly not looking at him.

Down the street, the Marines were creating a line and slowly advancing on them. "Surrender yourselves and your ship, pirates!" one Marine called, apparently assuming they would actually listen to him.

"Be careful, Robin-chan," Sanji cautioned, pocketing his hands. He glanced at Zoro and scoffed. "Don't die, Marimo."

Zoro sneered at him. "Take your own advice, dart brow." He held his right arm out, sword pointing at one of the Marines. The Marine he had leveled his sword at visibly gulped and stepped a little behind the Marine to his left. Zoro smirked. Maybe it would be less irritating and more amusing to handle those pesky Marines than he originally thought. They obviously knew how formidable the pirates were; it would be easy to intimidate them and win a quick victory. That would not satisfy his pride, but the next strong opponent was never far down the line and they needed to regroup and help Luffy get better as soon as possible.

And as if there was nothing more pressing going on at the moment, it occurred to Zoro that they had to get Sanji better, too. Without meaning to, he looked over at the cook. He seemed perfectly well, if a little angry—which was nothing new. The operative word being "seemed." Somehow, Zoro felt like it wasn't exactly what it seemed in this situation. He was somewhat worried, which may have been an understatement, but his gut-feeling about Sanji's situation was different from all his other gut-feelings. It was milder and more powerful at the same time, but as his gaze was met by a single blue eye filled with sarcasm and snark, he chalked it up to Sanji being his rival. That was the only logical reason that Zoro could think of that his feeling was different.

"What're you staring at?" Sanji asked flatly, raising his chin and quirking an eyebrow at Zoro.

The swordsman scoffed. "Not a damn thing," he muttered, shaking his head slowly to clear it of unnecessary things like worry for the crap cook. He had to get his priorities straight. They were in a good position right then with the Marines plainly in front of them, holding their fire for the moment; they couldn't afford to mess anything up and he refused to be the one to blame if they did.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zoro saw Robin cross her arms over her chest as if to use her devil fruit ability, but he didn't see any limbs popping up anywhere. He didn't care what Robin did—he _never_ cared what she did—but he divided his attention between the enemies before them and the dark-haired woman who was deeply concentrated on something beyond their view. He was really getting sick of the stupid feelings brought forth by his instincts, but even as he thought that he felt something bad was going to happen.

"Oh, my…" Robin's brow creased slightly.

The Marines were getting slowly closer, perhaps expecting they'd quietly overtake the pirates, but Sanji and Zoro let their guard down anyway.

"What is it, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, inching towards her.

The archaeologist shook her head slightly. "We need to go," she said. "Quickly. We can follow after Captain-san and Sniper-san."

"What's going on, Robin?" Zoro growled. He was in no mood for her vagueness.

"The Marine from before—their captain—he's coming this way. There are reinforcements on the way with- Is that a cannon?" Robin said all of that without opening her eyes and with an increasingly defined furrow in her brow. "It would be in our best interest, I think, to make a hasty retreat."

Sanji made a gurgling sound. "Are you fucking serious?" he hissed under his breath. With a plastic smile, the cook turned to Robin. "Then we'd better go quickly," Sanji said pleasantly, as if Robin could not have heard him spitting curses in a whisper when he turned away from her.

"We're supposed to be covering them, not following them," Zoro reminded his two nakama, who were already moving slowly towards the escape route. Grudgingly, Zoro eased one sword back into its scabbard, but kept one out in case something happened.

"There isn't any time, Swordsman-san," Robin said, her voice low. She glanced towards the neutral end of the street warily and gestured very subtly for them to hurry.

A sound like rain pelting the sidewalk crept into the air. Zoro looked to the Marines that were moving towards them in a line and he didn't want to run, but that sound could not be good. Even the unreadable, unshakeable Robin was moving at a brisk pace to get away. He didn't like backing down from fights, but this time there didn't seem to be an option.

"Come on, Marimo," Sanji called, already standing over between two ivy-covered buildings. "We don't have all day!"

"Sir, they're fleeing!" one Marine said into the mini den-den mushi on his wrist.

Zoro spared the Marines one final, disdainful glance before taking off after Sanji and Robin. Immediately the situation evolved from the tension of a stand-off to the adrenaline of a chase. It was amazing how quickly he went from not wanting to run to running like a madman, but somewhere in there the Marines began firing, so he would hold off on congratulating himself.

"What the hell happened to their peaceful approach?" Sanji questioned from only a few feet ahead of Zoro. "I thought we'd have an easy victory today." He seemed almost to be pouting, but Zoro didn't feel bad for him.

Civilians poked their heads out of windows and watched the pirates run past with interest and fear; whether about the pirates themselves or the Marines they were running from, Zoro couldn't guess. It seemed to him that maybe the answer was both. For a brief moment, he considered the possibility that their fear was valid, that maybe the pirates themselves had something to fear. But then they surged into an unpopulated area, just a weird turn in the road on which there were no buildings and, no, they'd been chased by the Marines a hundred times and everything was always fine. Of all the shit they (mostly Luffy) had gotten into, this was no big deal.

"Hey hey hey! Where the hell are you going, Marimo, the others turned a while ago!" When Zoro skidded to a halt, the cook appeared beside him, grabbed him by the sleeve and yanked him down a side road that he didn't recognize at all.

"We're gonna get lost," Zoro protested, noticing for the first time that the others were all out of sight, but Sanji just laughed.

Sanji kept to Zoro's side as they ran and nudged him towards every turn. "You're not one to talk," the blond muttered after a long time, steering Zoro through a random stone tunnel. "Robin-chan is leading the way, I'm sure. I just wish I could see them..."

"Wait a minute." Zoro could no longer see or hear the Marines, so he felt safe enough to dig in his heels and drag the blond to a halt just before the end of the tunnel. "You don't know which way they went, do you?"

The cook looked down, flushed. The fact that he wasn't even defensive was disturbing.

"Well? You're leading me around blindly and you have the balls to say _I'm_ not one to talk?" He was being belligerent, he knew that, but it was kind of ridiculous to be constantly undermined and not say anything. Stupid, even. Hell, it's not like it wasn't a valid point. Never mind that Sanji could somehow always find his way to where he needed to be, he didn't need the blond reminding him all the time. Even if he looked really guilty. Shit.

"Listen," Sanji said quietly, and then didn't continue for a painfully long time. When he did finally pick up his sentence, he glanced at Zoro through his hair, looking _really_ pitiful-the bastard-and said, "We don't have time for this. Just trust me, okay?"

oOo

He had thought when he zoned out a minute ago that his pause was something of an exaggeration, but this? No, Zoro was taking it a bit far. All he'd asked for was trust and there was nothing medically wrong with Zoro's head, so he didn't have to keep Sanji in suspense for so long.

But, shit, that had never stopped him before. He was world famous-literally, Sanji added in a side note to himself-for doing things he shouldn't do. It was indecent. Nakama wouldn't leave nakama hanging, unless he really didn't trust him, which was a bigger problem on top of what they were already dealing with-

"Okay," Zoro said suddenly, leaning to catch Sanji's eye, which had wandered to the damp pavement without his knowledge. "I trust you. Do you trust me?" He looked tense, concerned. Rather than wonder why, Sanji wondered if Zoro even knew that he'd paused for a decade before coming up with that response.

"Yeah, obviously," he tossed back in an attempt at being casual.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "What the hell does that mean?" he grunted, crossing his arms.

There was a little painful tick behind one of his eyes. Sanji had to take a deep breath and think forgiving thoughts. They didn't have time for this, he told himself several times, _be the bigger man_. "It means that I wouldn't be here if I didn't trust you. I don't think either of us would be," Sanji explained, trying to be as clear as possible, because he knew how dense Zoro could be. However, he was not going to mention the dense bit. "Now you trust me, I trust you; there is so much trust in this space! All there is left to do is _make sure_ we don't get _arrested_ today, or _worse_."

"Alright," Zoro said quickly and then, "alright" again. He was almost smiling and Sanji didn't know what there was to smile about, but he went along with it. He found it hard not to grin when Zoro cracked a little more. They were having the most civil exchange they had had in what seemed like an eternity and Sanji was actually kind of enjoying the odd serenity of the moment.

And then a trio of tan arms appeared at the edge of the tunnel next to them, two with eyes on their palms and the last one with a mouth, and the moment was over. "Up ahead, turn left at the rotting terrace, take the gravel path," the mouth-hand told them in Robin's voice. "We'll be waiting." And with that, the arms all disappeared into a dozen pink petals each and the situation became that once more: a situation.

"That will never not be creepy," Zoro muttered, probably to himself, but Sanji snorted anyway.

"Be respectful. She's a lady," he told Zoro mildly.

"That was not a lady." Sanji laughed. "And if you say it was, then the Marines are not your biggest problem." The cook laughed again, even though it was an insult to him and to Robin, told Zoro not to push it, and then they were on their way to meet up with their friends.

The rotting terrace was further down the road than Sanji expected, but it was still in the direction that he had been leading Zoro towards. On a normal day, he thought distractedly as Zoro tried to turn right and Sanji had to redirect him, he would have said "I told you so." And Zoro would have flushed and insulted him. And Sanji would have insulted him back and kicked at his legs and so on until it devolved into a knock-down drag-out. But for the time being they traveled only in companionable silence.

Sanji knew that they had spoken a little between tunnel and terrace, but it had been such peaceful banter that he was hard-pressed to recall it, and that had nothing to do with the state of his brain. He knew Zoro had laughed, which had been nice. It was an interesting change. Although he had enjoyed their disagreements many times in the past, Sanji sort of wished he'd known that trust spoken aloud could change their dynamic.

"Careful," Zoro warned him, probably because they were basically running and gravel wasn't exactly condusive to balance, but Sanji was going to just brush him off.

And then he skidded downhill a few yards and lost his footing for a second with a shout. He didn't actually fall or hurt himself, but he felt obligated to take a moment of catching his breath.

When Zoro caught up to him, the damn marimo-head was laughing, but then he asked if Sanji was okay. His ego was a little sore, dignity bruised; Sanji replied that he would live.

Then it was about two seconds before someone yelled "There they are!" and a gunshot rang out.

oOo

"Oh shit," Usopp huffed, out of breath. "Was that gunfire?!"

Luffy jolted suddenly, as if he hadn't heard it until just then. "What? A gun? That's dangerous!" He started to run off and Robin, who had only joined them a couple minutes ago and was frankly as winded as Usopp had ever seen her, caught Luffy by the back of his shirt with her natural arm. Usopp got the impression she was worn out from using her Devil's Fruit abilities. "We have to go!" Luffy said, struggling against Robin's hold a little.

"Are you crazy?" Usopp asked, planting himself in front of Luffy to slow his roll. Robin hadn't had much of a chance to explain why she had followed them, just that Sanji and Zoro where right behind her and it was better if they traveled in a group after all. But, contrary to popular belief, Usopp wasn't stupid. He knew that, no matter what had happened, it was not good. "We've gotta wait for the other two before we go anywhere!"

"Sniper-san," Robin panted lightly, "is right. We must stay put until Cook-san and Swordsman-san rejoin us. I have already given them directions and they were not far behind me to begin with; Swordsman-san just got a little turned around."

Usopp rolled his eyes. "At least he's consistent," he muttered and he tried not to be bitter but Zoro was always getting lost at the worst times. He wondered if Sanji might not slow their progress by losing his cool with Zoro. That is, of course, if that shot hadn't hit one of them. Usopp shivered. "Do you think...?" he began, but he trailed off.

"We have to goooo!" Luffy whined, doing what could only be described as melting. His limbs stretched in odd ways, his joints oozing towards the ground. It looked really freaky, but he didn't seem to know he was doing it.

"Go where?" Robin asked. She sounded suspicious and when Usopp looked at her she was looking right back at him. He had never been on the same page as her for as long as he had known her, but here they were sharing a significant look and Usopp got it.

"Yeah," he said, tugging Luffy back up a little. "Where do you wanna go in such a hurry?"

Luffy groaned and his neck started melting downward so that he looked like a depressed giraffe. "The Merry," he wailed, flapping his arms around limply until he smacked Usopp in the face. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to do that. What was I saying?"

Usopp and Robin shared another look, this one more significant than the last. "You wanted to go back to the Merry," Robin told Luffy slowly, releasing her grip on his shirt.

"Huh? What does that even mean?" Their captain pulled himself together quickly and without warning. "No, I was saying that Sanji and Zoro can take care of each other. Don't you listen, Robin?"

It could not have been more than a day or two, but it felt like it had been at least a year since Usopp remembered hearing Luffy actually address any of them by their names like he really _knew_ them. He should have known better, told himself not to hope, but he pushed it anyway. "Hey, Luffy, you know Sanji and Zoro right?" Usopp began shakily, trying to remain calm. It wasn't working. "They won't take care of each other, they'll kill each other!"

"What?" Luffy looked at him, particularly at his nose, like he'd been completely blind up until that moment and Usopp's shoulders dropped. Robin was frowning behind Luffy, looking vaguely disappointed. "But they're nakama! They only fight because they love each other! They're gonna be okay, Usopp, why would you even say that?!" Luffy shouted suddenly, batting away Usopp's hovering hands nonchalantly and dusting off his vest. He straightened his hat and grinned at Usopp, then turned and gave that same grin to Robin over his shoulder. "Have faith, you guys!"

"L-Luffy," Robin stuttered slightly, her eternal composure slipping. "How are you feeling?"

"Never been better!" Luffy chirped, flexing his bicep and poking it as if to prove to her how good he was feeling. His approach was confusing, but it was definitely him. "Who are you again?"

Usopp cursed, loudly and aggressively, and turned his back on Luffy, who was utterly confused by the new development. As his mind raced through, lighting on what Chopper might have to say in this situation, what Sanji would say about him cursing in front of Robin, then if Sanji was even alive, where he and Zoro were at this point when Robin had said they were right behind her, what would happen to them all if their three strongest nakama were all down for the count or otherwise unaccounted for. He was miliseconds away from a breakdown when more shots were fired and Sanji and Zoro came running up and over the final hill on the gravel path and slid down the last few feet, both looking over their shoulders.

"Guys," Usopp started seriously, "you have got to hear what just happe-"

"Run," Zoro told him, grabbing one of Luffy's arms as he passed.

"Now," Sanji reiterated, taking hold of Luffy's other arm and the three of them didn't get too far on their own in the span of a third significant look between Usopp and Robin. He was getting _really_ tired of running.

**Hot damn, stuff is still happening. I'm going to estimate a further... I would say 2, but probably 3-4 more chapters, knowing myself. I do love to ramble.**

**Anywho, tell me what you think darlings, good or bad, I read it all. (P.S. If there were any translations to be made in this chapter, it is only right of me to warn you that I wrote the first half ((or so)) of this chapter a LONG time ago, and only the second half is edible by my eyes. I can't remember much before that, so... Oops. xP)**


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